League of Exceptional Louds
by Thefoxmage
Summary: After an anomolous event (that will be expanded upon later), the Loud family is gifted with super powers. They seem to be handling it well so far, but they've yet to be really tested. This may change soon enough...(Name slightly altered to avoid potential confusion or issues) (Changed catagory to crossover since I've included a crossover arc to the story and may include more later)
1. Chapter 1

Meet the Super Louds

Royal Woods. A quaint little town in Michigan. While it was generally a peaceful place, it still had it's trouble with the criminal element. And a van load of them had just pulled up in front of the Royal Woods 1st National Bank. Four men dressed all in black and wearing ski masks emerged from the van, two carrying handguns and one with a shotgun. Meanwhile, inside, citizens were taking care of their own respective businesses, oblivious to the event about to take place. Among them were Lori Loud and her brother, Lincoln. Lincoln was holding a check in his hand and a smile on his face. "I gotta hand it to you." Lori said to him, a hand on his shoulder. "When you won that prize money, I half expected you to spend it on comic books or video games. But starting a savings account? That's pretty mature of you."

"Heh. Well, Mom and Dad have always said to put a little away for a rainy day. Besides, I have my allowance for that." Lori rolled her eyes but chuckled. Her smile soon faded, replaced by an uncomfortable look.

"Er...think you'll be alright for a little bit, Lincoln? I'll be right back." The young man nodded as Lori hurried off to the restroom. He had a feeling the line wouldn't be that much further along while she relieved herself. He rocked back and forth on his heels and toes as he waited. However, the peace was soon disrupted by the sounds of the glass doors being shattered and gunshots into the air. There was instant panic as everyone started screaming. Lincoln gasped and quickly hit the deck.

"Alright! Everyone down! Do what we say and no one gets hurt!" One of the bank robbers bellowed. The patrons of the bank were quick to obey. Lori, who had just finished in the bathroom, heard the gunshots and frowned. That clearly sounded like trouble. She crosses her arms in front of herself, like a vampire about to sleep in it's coffin, and started to glow with a bright light. When the light faded, Lori's outfit changed from her usual light blue tank top, shorts and sneakers into a red and blue leotard with white gloves and boots, a golden mask, and a large gold L adorned with wings on her chest. In reality, she was Lady Glori. She smirked as she took to the air, removing the grate from the air vent and silently flying through the vent network. Back in the bank lobby, the bank robbers had the employees at gunpoint, making them fill large sacks full of money. While they weren't paying attention, Lincoln took the opportunity to crawl away to find a place to hide. "That's it. Just keep filling the bags with loot and no one gets hurt...but if you even think of putting a dye pack in there, you're all gonna be swiss cheese."

"Sorry, boys, but your account is overdrawn." Came a voice from behind them. The fourth bandits turned to see Lady Glori standing before them, her hands on her hips.

"It's Lady Glori!" The bag holding goon gasped.

"Get her!" The one wielding the shotgun turned his weapon upon her and pulled the trigger. Lady Glori held out her hand as the weapon fired, the pellets impacting her hand, then falling to the ground, doing virtually nothing to her. Before he could take another shot, she yanked the weapon from his hand and broke it in half.

"Back off, little lady, or their blood will be on your hands!" One of the handgun crooks threatened, aiming the weapon at the frightened employees, along with his outlaw associates. Suddenly, a heavy metal chain whipped down on the weapons, breaking the barrels. The criminals dropped their useless weapons, turning their gaze to the source. A young man wearing a bronze armor chest plate and shoulder plates, black leather pants and boots, a chain mail helmet and a black mask over his eyes. His arms and legs were wrapped with thick steel chains. "Chain-Linc!" Before they could make another move, Lady Glori pounced, easily taking down one fiend originally armed with a shotgun. The other three made tracks, still carrying the bag of cash.

"Hey guys! Don't leave yet! You just won the grand prize in the bank's big raffle!" Chain Linc shouted.

"Really? What'd we win!?" The bag carrier asked, looking back at the young hero. A chain sprang out from under a desk, right in front of the legs of the fleeing felons.

"A free trip!" He quipped as the bank robbers ran right into the chain, which wrapped around all three pairs of legs, causing them to fall into a heap. Chain Linc snickered as he twirled his finger, the criminals getting tied up in the metal coils.

"A textbook takedown." The eldest Loud super sister said, binding the final crook's wrists with the barrel of his ruined weapon. "Well done, Chain Linc."

"Right back at you, Lady Glori." He responded, pulling out a small, pda like device and pressing a few buttons. "The police have been summoned. They should be here any second."

"Then we better move along." Lady Glori said, taking Chain Linc by the hand and flying out the door and off into the sky. "By the way….'A free trip'? Really?" She asked, giggling.

"Oh, like your 'account is overdrawn' line was any less cheesy?" Chain Linc retorted, the two of them laughing as they flew off.

* * *

Meanwhile, clear across the city, at a park near the Royal Woods reservoir, Lynn Sr and Rita Loud were spending a little time with some of their younger children, Lola, Lana and Lily. The twins were running around, playing and giggling, Rita was sitting on a picnic blanket with Lily in her lap, and Lynn Sr was grilling some hot dogs and burgers. "Bet you can't catch me, Lola!" Lana taunted, grinning back at her twin. However, Lola wasn't chasing her. She was standing still, looking toward the bushes closest to the reservoir. "Lola?"

"Shhhh…" she hushed Lana, pointing toward the bushes. After making sure no one else was around, she crept closer to the shrubs. Her keen hearing had picked up on someone rambling, but she couldn't quite make it out. She spotted a man with filthy gray hair, a ratted old trench coat, torn jeans and sneakers leaning on the railing by the water. She could only hear bits and pieces of random gibberish from there. She grins, extending a little scaly tail from under her gown and letting it slither over to the man. The tip of her tail had a tiny microphone attached.

"...I'll show them….call me crazy will they? Well, when I blow the reservoir, not only will Royal Woods be without clean drinking water, but it will be mostly flooded. Then, who will be the crazy one!?" Lola gasped, but then ducked into the bushes before the man could turn around. "Hmmm. Must be hearing things…" He turns back to the water, giving Lola a chance to run back to her family.

"Dad! Mom! Someone is planning to blow up the reservoir!" Lola said frantically, waving her arms around as she dashed over to them.

"W...what? Are you sure?" Lynn Sr asked in concern.

"Yes! I just heard them!"

"I'll check it out, honey. You stay here with the kids." Rita whispered, looking around to make sure they were alone. Once she was satisfied, she vanished in a blur of red, blue and yellow. She returned seconds later, her eyes wide open. "She's right! There's a bomb strapped to the southwest wall!" Lynn Sr frowned, holding his hand over the grill, absorbing the fire into his hand.

"In that case, let's go." He said seriously. His body was engulfed in flames and, once the fire faded, Lynn Sr's skin was covered by shining iron and his outfit changed into a chef's outfit, complete with a tall chef's hat. Rita nods, conjuring a blizzard from nowhere, the arctic wind swirling around her until it was impossible to see her. When the wind died down, she was wearing a white parka whose hood covered most of her face (but not her belly for some reason), thick white snow pants and ice blue snow boots. Lana pokes a button on her overalls and started to glow green. Her usual outfit of overalls and a shirt changed into a handyman's one piece work suit, steel toed work boots, leather work gloves, and a hard hat with a plastic visor over her eyes. On her chest was a crossed wrench and hammer, and she gained a utility belt around her waist. Lola smiles and stands on her toes of one foot, starting to spin. Glitter started to sprinkle from her fingers, completely covering her in shimmering particles. When she next moved, the glitter fell off her, revealing a bright pink pantsuit, glittery heels, a little pink cape, and a red mardi gras mask. Her tail stuck out the back of her pantsuit, curled up like a party whistle. Lily looks around at everyone and raises her arms, making a "rawr" noise. Her skin turned orange and furry, and stripes appeared in random places. "Ok, here's the plan. Miss Fix It, come with me. Glacial Gal, you, Tattle Tail and Tiger Lily see if you can apprehend the suspect."

"You got it, Iron Chef!" Miss Fix It gave her father a salute as she pulled a small metal disc from her belt. She tosses it in front of her as it expands and hovers a few inches off the ground. She hops on and flies off, The Iron Chef following suit, fire spitting from the soles of his shoes.

"Be careful you two…" Glacial Gal called out to them. She knew they would be, but she couldn't help but worry regardless. Tiger Lily transforms into a fully grown eagle and takes to the air, prepared to support them from above. Tattle Tail took her mother's hand and took her to where she found the rambling man.

"Yes…." He muttered quietly. "Five minutes from now, Royal Woods will experience its worst flood in years...followed by a very dry spell….hehehehe…."

"Hold it right there!" The madman turns on his heels, facing the two super ladies with an expression of malice.

"You're too late, super tools...the timer is already set and won't stop without my password…and you'll never get it from me!" He drew a pistol and pointed it at them. Before he could open fire, Tattle Tail opened her mouth and unleashed an incredibly loud scream in his direction. The high volume and frequency caused his ears incredible pain, forcing him to cover them. Glacial Gal took the opportunity to zip in and swipe his weapon.

"You shouldn't play with guns, young man!" She scolded him as she raised a hand, encasing his legs in ice. "Someone always gets hurt."

Meanwhile, Iron Chef and Miss Fix It were hovering beside the improvised explosive pasted to the side of the cement wall of the massive water basin. "Hmmmm. Seems a poor job….I think I can disarm it." The young super handywoman said, grinning as she pulled some tools from her pockets.

"Just be careful, Fix It. I'll be here to absorb the blast, but I'd rather there not be a blast at all with you right there..."

"No worries, Superdad." She responded, leaning closer as a little jeweler's eyepiece lowered from her hard hat over her right eye. "Ok….this little wire is the ground….this one...no, that leads to the ignition….this one….leads to the timer." She muttered, clipping a yellow wire. "Good...now I just need to….aha! There it is!" She cut the red wire next. "Ok. Just one…..there!" She finally severed the green wire, which caused the timer to stop, then power down. "There we go."

"Excellent work, Miss Fix It. Go back to your mother and sisters and inform them of the good news while I dispose of this thing."

"Can do, Iron Chef!" The little tool gal flew off on her hovering disc as the metal plated father started to try and remove the explosive.

"Here comes my sister. Looks like your plan is all wet." Tattle Tail taunted their trapped terror fiend.

"You think you've won!? I have a remote detonator!" He screamed, pulling a remote from his pocket and holding it up so they could see it. Before he could push the button, Tiger Lily swooped down and plucked it from his hand with her talons. "No!"

"Good girl, Tiger Lily!" The chilly speedster praised her youngest with a smile as she dropped the detonator into her mother's hand. Meanwhile, Iron Chef had pulled the device from the reservoir and flew far up into the air before he used his fire powers to ignite it. It exploded in his hand, but thanks to his armor plating, he didn't even flinch. "That takes care of that. Now we just need to inform the proper authorities."

"One step ahead of you, G. Gal!" Miss Fix It said, tapping the L insignia on her belt buckle.

"This isn't over….I will have my revenge on those who dared call me crazy!"

"Oh, shut up…" Tattle Tail said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Several miles away, deep underground in a hidden stronghold, a group of men in tuxedos and a few scientists were standing within a cavernous room with massive super computers and monitors, which depicted maps of the major continents and/or lines of programming code. The scientists were checking some data being spat out from a printer while typing at a few keyboards. Most of the tuxedoed men were carrying assault rifles, and there were a few automated turrets tucked away in the corners of the room. There were only two doors in and out of the room, and one of them had just opened. A woman with a cold, stern face and short gray hair entered the room, glaring at everyone within. She was dressed in a military officer's uniform and walked in a stiff, purposely manner, carrying a large magnum revolver at her side. "Agent Cottonmouth! Status report!" She barked.

"All is going as scheduled, Commander Sidewinder." One of the scientists responded, not looking away from his work. "In seven short minutes, we will have full control of the country's stockpile of missiles."

"Excellent. Prepare to send our ransom to the leaders of the world."

"At once." She smirked slightly as she gazed up at the map of the US, peppered with red glowing circles.

"Soon enough, we will be rich beyond our wildest dreams...and I can begin phase two of my conquest." The commander declared, looking around at her hired muscle. Her smirk faded as she noticed one of her men: one with short blond hair, standing guard by the other door. "You there!"

"Yes, Commander?" He responded, snapping to attention.

"I don't recall seeing you around! Identify yourself!"

"Agent Hognose, Ma'am! I was transferred here recently from Belgium!" He answered promptly. Commander Sidewinder rubbed her chin a bit as she eyed him up and down.

"At ease, Hognose." She finally said, turning her back to him. The moment she had, he sidled over to the nearest console and stuck a small, circular device to it that looked like a mine. "By the way, your wife called. She wanted to make sure you are home in time for your anniversary...you know how I feel about personal calls to the headquarters."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. I will see to it that it doesn't happen again, ma'am."

"See that you don't. Oh, and by the way, agent…." She turns suddenly, drawing her weapon and pointing it at him. "...you aren't married!" The blond haired man raised his hands in front of him as all guns pointed in his direction. "Seize him and take him to the interrogation room. I will question him myself later."

"Yes, Commander!" Before any of them could make a move against him, sirens started to blare and the lights turned red.

"Commander! Someone is attempting to take control of our computer systems!"

"Who would dare!?" She screamed in outrage.

"That would be me." Came the calm voice of Lisa from all around them. "And for the record, I am not 'attempting' to seize control of your systems…" Her face suddenly appeared on all the monitors. "..I AM in control." She corrected them, proving her point by using the turrets to shoot the magnum out of the stern woman's hand. The armed minions opened fire at their own defenses, giving the one blond haired man the chance to make his move. He grabbed his tuxedo jacket and, in one swift motion, threw the entire ensemble onto one of the nearest guards. The odd man out was gone and in his place stood a young lady with long blonde hair, wearing a light green masquerade mask, a stylish seafoam green gown with white trim, teal knee high boots and gloves. Her name was Leni Loud, but most knew her as Fashion Plate, the mistress of disguise. With the confusion, she took the opportunity to sucker punch one of the other guards.

"Send in the reserves! On the double!" Commander Sidewinder shouted, holding her injured hand.

"Yes...about that. They are somewhat….preoccupied at the moment." Lisa informed her with a smug smile.

Meanwhile, out in the halls, armed and armored men were firing down at the corridor as a hulking, masked, brown haired girl in a red and white wrestling singlet and thick red boots came barreling down it toward them. Their bullets struck her and bounced off her, causing her to laugh. "Your bullets only tickle!" She bellowed as she plowed through the entire line of them like a bulldozer. Her name was Lynn Loud Jr, codename The Grappler.

"Your attempt to wrest control of our nations rocketry will be no more in a matter of seconds. Surrender is the most logical course of action for you." Lisa explained to the furious commander.

"That's what you think…Agent Pit Viper! Trigger the complex demolition sequence!" The scientist at the main console nodded, reaching for the keyboard. Before he could touch a single button, the dark blade of a scythe planted itself right in front of his fingers. He scrambled back, looking up to see a dark swirling portal before him. Lucy Loud slowly floated out, staring at the man in the lab coat. She was dressed in a black undertaker's suit, with a black shroud and top hat. Her family knew her as Lucy, but villains knew her as The Mystic Mortician.

"Go ahead and try…" she said in a monotone voice. "...it's your funeral." The scientist looked at the young girl with fear. The commander could read the writing on the wall and made a run for the door. "Oh no you don't. Klatu…" she began to chant, dark energy surrounding her hands. "...berata nikto!" A large, ghostly hand materialized in front of her, surging forward to grab the fleeing felon in an iron grip.

"Wonderful work, everyone." Lisa said as she turned the alarms off from within the computer. "Particularly you, Fashion Plate. Without your infiltration skills, I never would have gotten access to their mainframe."

"It was totes not a problem." Fashion Plate replied with a smile. Just then, The Grappler ripped one of the sliding doors right out of its frame, stepping inside.

"Somebody order a pile of mooks?" she asked, pointing out into the halls with a hearty laugh.

"Just leave them anywhere, Grappler." The little gothic mystic replied, a small smile on her face.

"The CIA have just arrived, super siblings. Please aid them in making arrests while I upload the contents of Sidewinder's computers to them, before performing a complete reformat."

"Sure thing, brainiac." The Grappler replied, leading the others out into the hall, Commander Sidewinder being pulled along behind Mystic Mortician.

* * *

Out of the whole super family, few were more public than Luna and Luan as super heroes. Not that the public knew their secret identities; simply that they made many more public appearances than the others. No big surprise, as they were performers even before they gained their powers. Lisa wasn't especially thrilled with the idea, but admitted that having members more open to the public could affect the team's public image positively. The two of them had just left Gus' Game and Grub, where a birthday party was being held. Luna was wearing a purple leather jacket with matching form fitting pants and a black belt with a skull shaped buckle, as well as spiked shoulder pads and leather boots. On her head were a pair of DJ headphones and a purple and black 'Phantom of the Opera' mask obscuring most of her face. Her favorite guitar was at her back and an iPod was at her side. Luan, on the other hand, was wearing a yellow and black harlequin costume with a matching jester's hat and a butterfly mask over her eyes. Sitting on her shoulder was her favorite dummy, Mr Coconuts. "It was a great show, Deci-Belle." The practical joker said with a smile.

"Sure was, April Fool, but what do you say we leave your little wooden friend at homebase next time?" Deci-Belle commented, looking at the puppet as it turned to meet her gaze.

"What'reya talkin' about? Chuckles here and I are a great team. Wit'out me, it'd be like having Abbot without Costello, or only one of the Three Stooges." Mr Coconuts said in a gruff voice.

"I think the parents back there beg to differ." Deci-Belle replied, rolling her eyes.

"Yeesh. Tell one joke about a lady with a mustache and all the mommy's lose their sense of humor….specially the one with the mustache."

"I hate to admit it, Mr Coconuts, but she's right. Stop being a 'dummy' or just let me do the talking, or else I may have to put you in the box." April Fool said, chuckling a bit at her dummy pun, but then snapping to a serious look.

"Whoa! Let's not get all crazy here. We can discuss it like reasonable adults and puppets…." His eyes widened, holding out his hands as if to say stop. Before they could pursue the topic any further, they heard someone scream from nearby.

"Duty calls, super sis." Deci-Belle declared, pulling her guitar from her back. She plucks a few strings and a large, glowing guitar shaped construct appeared in front of her. The two super siblings hopped aboard and flew off into the air, Mr Coconuts holding on to April Fool's shoulder.

Up ahead, a cargo truck at the top of the hill had a minor failure creating a serious problem. The back door lock had broken, causing it's cargo of molasses barrels to fall out and roll down the hill. Citizens were fleeing in terror from the heavy metal drums, but one little girl carrying a giraffe plush ended up tripping on the sidewalk. She looks back in horror as the steel container bore down on her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. Before it could hit her, a whip cracked loudly, along with the sound of western music. This made her open her eyes, seeing the barrel inches in front of her face, held in place by a glowing sonic whip. Said whip was connected to an iPod, being held by Deci-Belle. "Excuse me, Luv, but I gotta whip it, and whip it good." She said in her British accent, tossing the barrel over to more stable ground.

"Thanks, Deci-Belle." The young girl said, smiling up at her.

"No thanks necessary, mate. You better get yourself to safety, or you could get flattened." She lashed with her whip to catch another barrel, the child nodding before taking cover in a toy store. Meanwhile, further down the hill, the barrels were starting to catch up with the crowd. However, before they got too close, something stretched across the street between them and death by thick, syrupy goo. Something yellow and black, and rubbery started catching the barrels midroll.

"Whew. That was close." Came the voice of the April Fool, her head stretching up from the left side of the road. "These drums had you 'over a barrel'. Hahahaha! What a 'sweet' pun. How do I 'sorghum' up with this stuff? Hahahaha!" The now saved civilians wanted to groan at her terrible puns, but seeing as how she saved their necks, they let it slide. Mr Coconuts climbs over his owner and approaches the crowd.

"Ok, people! Nothing to see here. Just a cartoony superheroine saving yer bacons from being pancaked by syrup! Ah no...now she's got me doing it…" The dummy complained. "..and what's worse, now I'm hungry!"

"You doing alright there, April Fool?" Deci-Belle asked, tossing another barrel into the pile she started, the truck's drivers running down to start collecting the barrels.

"Just fine, Deci-Belle. Just stretching my legs. Hahahaha!" Deci-Belle sighed as she aided the workers in getting the molasses drums out of the super jester's gut and onto the flat sidewalk.

"That should do it." The super rocker said, as April Fool placed the last barrel at the top of the stack. "You blokes should bring your truck back down and fix up that lock 'fore you try that again, right? Cheers." She said before the drivers could reply to her, letting her goofy sister and little wooden friend onto her flying construct before they flew off to who knows where.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the two super girls and living dummy made their way out to the suburbs of Royal Woods. They could see their house from their place in the sky, but they fly right over it. They couldn't just walk in through the front door in their super costumes, naturally. Fortunately, their genius younger sister had set up several secret entry points both in and out of the house and their headquarters. The two fly their way to the junkyard, Deci-Belle dismissing her ride as they land. Mr Coconuts stood watch as April Fool opened an old, rusty refrigerator. She punches a few buttons on a hidden keypad within. A panel opened up at the floor of the appliance. One more check to make sure they weren't followed and the two heroines jumped in, followed closely by the living puppet. The three were zipped through a specially designed tube, which brought them to the secret underground lair of the Loud Family. Lady Glori, Chain Linc, Fashion Plate, Grappler, and the Mystic Mortician were already there, speaking with the Iron Chef on a massive monitor over a massive supercomputer. Lisa's head was hovering in the corner of the screen, but she was also laying slumped beside the cpu. "...in the end, the deranged suspect was apprehended and his plot to flood the city put to an end."

"And our mission to infiltrate and defeat Commander Sidewinder's organization was equally successful." Lisa interjected, her head vanishing from screen. The eyes of the unconscious body suddenly opened, glowing slightly as she stood up, a slight grinding sound here as she rose. "Hmmmm. It appears the joints of my synthetic body requires oiling." She muttered to herself.

"Linc and I managed to stop a bank robbery. Nothing special." Lady Glori said, patting her younger brother on the back.

"Sounds like we had the easy job today." Deci-Belle commented as she joined the group in front of the computer. "We stepped in to stop barrels full of molasses from crushing civilians."

"Sounds to me like we were all on a roll today." April Fool quipped, laughing it up as some of her sisters groaned, but Iron Chef laughed.

"Good one, AF. And good work everyone. I'm proud of all of you." He told them. "We'll be back later, after we've finished our picnic. We'll see you all at home then."

"See you later, Super Daddy." Fashion Plate replied as the screen went blank.

"I dunno about the rest of you, but I think we earned a break." Chain Linc said, pulling off his helmet. "I'll be in my room, playing some games."

"Sounds like a plan. I wanted to get some rollerblading in before dinner." Grappler said as her body mass returned to normal. The other Loud siblings all started to head to the zoom tubes that lead back to their house, all chatting about what they planned to do. All except Lisa. She had stepped over to the supercomputer, clearing her throat.

"Computer. Access personal log of Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton." She said clearly. "Password: Supernova."

"Access approved. Welcome back, LISA." The computer responded in a monotone voice. "We can begin recording when you are ready."

"Lisa's Log. I am pleased to report four missions successfully handled by our group, name still pending. It has been two weeks since the anomalous incident which granted us extraordinary abilities far beyond that of mortal humans. Spirits and morale seem at an all time high, and the family seems to be blending their crime fighting duties and personal lives quite well thus far. However, if my analysis of Lincoln's comic books (done purely as a reference) are any indication, this may very well only be the beginning. After all, if the incident that gave us our powers isn't unique, and any unsavory characters were also gifted with powers, we may be in for some significant trials ahead...of course, we cannot say for certain that could happen. Only time will tell, and we will have to be ready when it happens. Lisa out."

* * *

_AN: I had actually finished writing this some time ago, but had my focus more on finishing Lincoln Loud and the Ghoul School at the time, so it kinda fell by the wayside. Been on kind of a superhero kick lately, so I decided to look this one back up, edit it a bit, and throw it to the wall to see if it stuck. Not an origin chapter just yet; that will come sometime later. However, I will leave you with a quick bio on each of the Louds' superpowers, but not their weaknesses just yet (those will be made known in the fullness of time)._

_First, Lori Loud is Lady Glori. She's pretty much Superman, with super strength, flight, and near invulnerability. However, her powers can increase and decrease based upon her closeness to her family (both in proximity and how close she feels to them). The more of her family near her and the closer she feels to them, the more powerful she is._

_Leni Loud is Fashion Plate. While possessing no actual superpowers, she does have incredible skill in disguise and impersonation. This makes stealth and infiltration missions a breeze for her. She also knows a little bit of martial arts to protect herself and her family._

_Luna Loud is Deci-Belle. She can channel music into her iPod to create sonic based weaponry, depending on the kind of music. She can also create a sonic guitar construct for her and her siblings to travel on with her faithful instrument, or unleash powerful sound waves from her axe. WIth her headphones, she is also resistant to audio based compulsion attempts._

_Luan Loud is the April Fool. She is pretty much a toon, giving her the power to squash and stretch herself at will, pull her gag based weapons from behind her back, take a lot of punishment and bounce right back, and escape from most restraints and prisons. At her side is her sentient puppet partner, Mr Coconuts, who's only power is that he's a living dummy._

_Lynn Loud is The Grappler. She can increase her body mass and strength at will, turning her into a mighty bruiser whenever she needs to. The increased mass also gives her tougher skin and muscles, making her practically bullet proof and incredibly difficult to hurt. With her sports skills and brawling expertise, she's the group's primary muscle._

_Lincoln Loud is Chain Linc. He possesses the power to control and manipulate chains, ropes, cords, wires, cables, pretty much anything similar (though it works best with chains). He is a practicing chain fighter, using the metal coils usually on his arms to great effect in close to mid range combat. If he needs to travel fast, he can also swing on them like Spiderman._

_Lucy Loud is The Mystic Mortician. Taught dark magics by a master of the arcane arts, Master Necromos, Lucy is the magical expert of the team. Along with her arcane talents, she can create portals for rapid travel with her scythe, speak to the dead, and even briefly see the last moments of any of the recently deceased she comes into contact with._

_Lana Loud is Ms Fix It. A genius with mechanical hardware, she created a wide array of gadgets and tools for her and her family to fight crime. She also has a natural talent for speaking with animals (but she could do that even before she got super powers)._

_Lola Loud is Tattle Tail. As her name suggests, she grew a tail when she got her powers. Her tail has a little microphone, allowing her to covertly listen to conversations at a distance. Her hearing is also enhanced, giving her the ability to hear through walls and doors with each. In a pinch, she has a powerful screech attack to immobilize those who threaten her or her family, but cannot use it for long or in rapid succession._

_Lisa Loud is the Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton. Her consciousness was sent into her computer, basically turning her into an AI. She can inhabit their headquarters' super computer or a custom Lisa android that she and Ms Fix It created. As an AI, she can download information right to her own memory, making her knowledge near limitless, as well as making her a master hacker. As an android, she has a number of offense and defense options to protect herself and her family should situations turn to blows._

_Lily Loud is Tiger Lily. Her molecular structure is quite unstable, giving her the ability to transform into pretty much anything she wants. However, she mainly sticks to animals, as animals are what she really knows. Fortunately for her, she doesn't have to turn into baby animals, but can become fully grown creatures._

_Lynn Loud Sr is The Iron Chef. He can control fire and cover his body in thick iron plating by igniting himself with flames. The iron plates are incredibly resiliant, capable of withstanding blasts that would render a tank inoperable. He can also turn basic incredients and spices into a variety of projectiles when he needs to keep his distance, but can't safely use fire._

_and finally (at the moment), Rita Loud is Glacial Gal. She can manipulate ice and snow, and can travel at incredibly fast speeds. She also has a innate parental radar, allowing her to sense where her children are up to a certain distance. She can't see them or hear them, simply know their location as long as they are on the same plane and not exceeding her distance limit._

_More heroes and heroines may come in the future, along with, of course, super villains. But one step at a time. First introduce the main heroes and see how they fare. Here's hoping you enjoy the story, and may good fortune shine on you all until we meet again._


	2. Chapter 2: For every good

_AN: Wow. I did not expect so much response to League of Exceptional Louds. Thank you all for your comments, suggestions and messages. Before I start, I'd like to respond to a couple of said comments and suggestions:_

_Owldusk: Not just yet. A brief explanation of their origin will come soon though, with the fully story coming in a later arc._

_Nick Name: For the serpent based organization, I like that idea. The Den of Vipers. As for the name for the Loud heroes, I haven't made up my mind yet, but I will consider the names you suggested._

_Guests: Exceptional Louds isn't their team name. The name hasn't been fully decided yet._

_The newly named Den of Vipers will be normal humans and soldiers at first, but will probably go about making super soldiers to combat the super heroes they now have to face._

_I agree. Those two would make for good villains, or at least henchmen. Also, wish granted._

_Not a bad idea. I will consider giving Fashion Plate such as an extra tool._

_I already have plans for Ronnie Anne later on, though you may still see part of that idea come to pass. On an extra note, in this universe, the Santiagos never moved away from Royal Woods._

_I did originally plan for only original villains, but your suggestion and the request for Hank and Hawk from an earlier guest gave me a couple ideas for other antagonists from the show. You'll see at least three of them below, a psuedo villain, and another coming sometime soon._

_Anyway, this chapter is more showing off some of the recurring villains that will appear in the upcoming stories, and build the world a little. Next chapter will be a full focused story. Hope you enjoy it and good day to you all._

* * *

For every good...

"And that's another win to Lynn Loud!" Lynn cheered as she raised her arms in celebration, walking down the sidewalk with her brother, Lincoln, away from the school field. They had just come from a soccer game, where Lynn's team had once more dominated the competition.

"Well done, Lynn." Lincoln said with a chuckle. "..but next time, you might want to go a little easier on your opponents. Next time, you may get the red card."

"I wasn't that rough. It was just some scrapes and scuffs." She replied with a roll of the eyes. "It would have been worse if I had-"

"Shhhh. Someone might be listening." Lincoln hushed her quietly. His tough sister quickly covered her mouth, then followed up by whispering.

"Sorry...anyway, if I had bulked up, it would have gotten worse for them."

"Lucky for you, your super strength doesn't apply unless you bulk up, or you wouldn't be allowed to play." He whispered back.

"...good point. I wouldn't like that." The sporty Loud commented. Just then, Lincoln and Lynn's cell phones went off, but not with their usual ring tones. More like a message alert. The one son looked around for a moment, then pulled out his phone.

"LISA, what's up?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Elder brother, elder sister, there is a disturbance at the local candy store." Lisa told them through the phone. "You two are the closest to the scene. Please do investigate."

"Roger that, LISA." He hung up his phone and looked to Lynn. "Candy shop chaos."

"Probably just a kid trying to sample all the goodies...but it couldn't hurt to check it out." The two looked about for a moment, Lincoln pointing toward the nearby public restrooms. They rushed in, looking like they really needed to go. Once they were sure they were along in their respective bathrooms, it was time to change. Lincoln held his arms up, chains materializing out of nowhere and wrapping around his arms, then around his whole body. Once he was completely wrapped up, the chains shattered, leaving him in his Chain Linc costume. Meanwhile, Lynn punched her fists together, then flexed her muscles, her whole body expanding and growing until she reached brutish size. Her soccer outfit turned into a wrestling singlet, and a mask appeared over her face. In their super costumes, the two checked real quick to make sure the way was clear before Grappler charged out and Chain Linc hurled a chain toward the sky, pulling himself skyward. "Say...how do you swing like that, bro?" She asked, looking up at him as she ran along on her powerful legs. "What are your chains hanging onto?"

"I dunno, but I don't question it." He replied as he swung along, barely able to keep up with her. "Probably for the best."

"Yeah...probably right." Grappler commented. It took them less than a minute to arrive at the candy shop, where there was a big hole in the front where the door used to be.

"So much for kids…" Chain Linc mumbled as he flipped in the air and landed on the sidewalk in front of the shop.

"Nice flip. Maybe you should try out for the circus." His brawny sister said, skidding to a stop beside him. One look inside made it very clear what the problem was. Two hulking brutes were scarfing down as much fudge and chocolate as they could get their greedy hands on, little kids and a few eldery folk cowering to the sides, while the fearful shopkeep was forced to keep handing over more sweets. One had black hair sticking out from under a steel football helmet, donning spiked shoulder pads. One of his arms seemed to have been replaced with some kind of cannon. The other had spiky brown hair sticking up from his helmet, and bands of iron and steel around his arms, knuckles, and legs.

"Mmmmmmmm. Great chocolate…." One of them grunted as he shoveled more into his gob.

"My compliments to the candyman." The other said.

"Hey...these goons sound familiar, Chain Linc?" Grappler inquired quietly.

"...all too familiar…" The chain wielding Loud said with a deep frown. "And by the look of it, they were affected by the incident as well." The two bullies paused in their gorging to turn around, sneers on their faces.

"Huh? Hey buddy...look, a few nerds looking for their costume party!" The black haired brute said with a gruff laugh. Lynn grit her teeth, her anger building quickly.

"I am Chain Linc!" The one son declared boldly, taking a step toward the hoggish hooligans.

"And I am The Grappler." The powerhouse of the two growled. "With introductions out of the way, you two better pay for what you ate, pay for the damage you did, then hit the bricks...if you know what's good for you." She added, cracking her knuckles. The two vagabonds looked to one another before they burst out laughing. Grappler grinned at this. She was hoping they would have picked the hard way.

"Do you even know who we are!?" The metal banded bully demanded, raising his ham sized fists into the air.

"Unfortunately, we do-" Chain Linc started to say.

"We are the new alpha males in town!" He continued as if the metal clad hero before him hadn't spoken. "I am Linebacker, and he is Quarterback!"

"Hey...I wanted to be Linebacker!" Quarterback complained, turning to his friend.

"What?"

"I said I wanted to be Linebacker. It's not fair."

"Oh for...Hank, we've been over this." Linebacker told him with a sigh after a face palm. "I have the powers that make more sense for me to be Linebacker."

"I know, Hawk...but it's the position I played on the team." The cannon armed thief retorted. While the two of them were arguing, the super Louds just slowly looked at each other with amusement and confusion.

"Looks like the powers didn't help their brains." Lynn whispered.

"I doubt even Lisa could help their brains…" Lincoln responded, getting a snicker from his sister. "Let's get the civilians out of harm's way while they're distracted…"

"Good thinking. We can smack them down safely after."

"I get that, buddy, but it wouldn't make sense for you to be Linebacker. You got the literal cannon arm." Hawk tried to explain to him, while Chain Linc and Grappler started to lead children out of the candy store.

"I know. I know...but I'm a linebacker for the team. It's like my pride, you know...it's what I got…"

"I get that, buddy...but look at it this way. You got a literal cannon arm. That shoots footballs. How cool is that!?"

"He's right, actually. That is pretty cool." One of the children Chain Linc was leading out commented, his mother hastily scooping him up as she ran out.

"See?"

"Heh...yeah, it is kind of cool."

"And look at it this way...being quarterback is like a promotion, isn't it?"

"He's right you know." Grappler commented as she carried a group of children out of the ruined store.

"Stay out of this!" The two goons snapped together.

"Alright! Alright! Geez, see if I try and help again…" The mighty Loud said, trying her best not to laugh at their stupidity.

"Yeah...I guess it is." Hank admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"And as Quarterback, that makes you leader, eh?"

"Excuse me, sonnies…" An elderly lady said meekly as Chain Linc started to help her out of danger.

"Huh? Oh, sure." Quarterback mumbled, moving aside to let her pass. "I never thought of it like that."

"You see. Not so bad, is it? Now, how about we mop the floor with those nerds in pajamas, boss? Work up an appetite for more chocolate."

"You got it!" The two bruisers finally in agreement, they turned to face the intervening heroes...only to find no one there. "Huh?"

"Where'd everybody go?" Linebacker asked in confusion.

"That went well enough." Chain Linc said as the last of the innocents was out of dodge.

"That was too easy." Grappler corrected him with a laugh. "Those two couldn't find their own butts with both hands and a hint!" Right after she said that, a roaring bellow sounded from inside the store. The superpowered Lynn turned her head just in time to see Linebacker charging toward her like an out of control freight train. She never had time to avoid him, getting knocked right off her feet and taken for a ride.

"Grappler!" The middle Loud cried out, right when he heard a click behind him. Quarterback had his cannon pointed right at him. "Uh oh…" He muttered. He hurled a chain skyward, pulling himself out of the way just in time to avoid a rocket propelled pigskin. The projectile left a deep, smoking pothole in the road.

Meanwhile, The Grappler had just gone through a concrete wall, courtesy of Linebacker's rhino like charge. Fortunately, her increased mass made her more durable and tolerant to pain. "Grrr…not a bad ram, meathead…"

"Gonna...smash...you!" Linebacker growled as he kept right on running, seemingly going faster.

"Only thing getting smashed…" She suddenly grabbed him by the sides of his head. "...is your face!" She slammed her forehead right into his, momentarily dazing the charging dim bulb. This gave the supersized fighter the chance to swing around his left side, then shoved his head down toward the pavement. Since he was still running, he ended up face planting right into the road, skidding along for nearly a foot, then rolled end over end until he impacted a brick wall deep in an alley between a convenience store and a check cashing business. Grappler was laughing her tail off as Linebacker groaned, pulling his head out off the wall. "Bet that road rash made you look loads better!" She taunted him. This, naturally, angered the footbrawler, causing him to charge her again in his fury. Lynn was ready for him this time. Steeling herself and planting her feet, she caught him with her two powerful hands and arms. The force of the slam was enough to send them skidding back, almost to where they had began, but she was able to stop him.

Chain Linc, on the other hand, wasn't having as much luck in battle. Quarterback was launching football after football at the scrawny chain fighter, forcing him on the defensive. He rolled, swung and lashed out with his arm chains to avoid and block each projectile. Each shot that failed to hit was making Quarterback more and more angry, which made him more and more erratic with his aim. His shots hit walls, windows, cars, and a few street lamps. The one son knew he couldn't keep avoiding him. He needed to go on the offensive. When the Hazeltuckey villain launched another pigskin, he used his command over chains to wrap his weapon around it and, after swinging it in a circular motion like a hammer throw, hurled it back at Quarterback. The ball hit him right in the gut, causing him to double over in pain. This was the opening he needed. Chain Linc flung himself into the air and stomped right down on his helmet before leaping off behind the musclebound fiend. While this wasn't enough to hurt the brutish bully, it did cause his helmet to slide down over his eyes, effectively blinding him for a moment. "Hey! Who put the lights out?" While Quarterback was attempting to adjust his headgear, Lincoln whipped his faithful chain around his chubby ankles and, with a sharp tug, caused the villain to fall flat on his face.

"First down…" He quipped, swinging his other arm chain downwards, slamming his opponent hard right on top of the helmet. "...and out!" Unfortunately for him, that was wishful thinking. The strike didn't knock him out: it only made him REALLY mad. With his one human arm, he reached down and snapped the bindings around his ankles like they were made of dental floss. "...it's never that easy…" Chain Linc groaned to himself as Hank stood back up, fuming.

"Alright, you little twerp! Let's see how you like exploding footballs!" The bully shouted, turning a dial on his cannon arm.

"Did he say...exploding?" Lincoln questioned out loud in horror. Another oval shaped ball was fired in his direction, this one with a fuse on it. Chain Linc quickly pulled himself out of the path of the ball, but wasn't quick enough to get out of range of the explosion. Fortunately, the blast was more force than fire and shrapnel, but it still caused a lot of damage to the road and nearby vehicles, and still hurt when he got flung into a wall. The heavy ordinance bully aimed another shot toward the downed hero when Grappler and Linebacker returned to the scene, the two of them struggling to over power one another. Thinking he could deal with Chain Linc later, he turned his weapon at Grappler's back. Her brother gasped in fright, chucking an iron binding around the barrel of the cannon, then launched another one toward the roof of a building. When the young chain fighter pulled himself up, Hank's weapon of choice was jerked straight up, a trio of explosive footballs being shot into the air.

"Hey!" Quarterback barked angrily, yanking on the metal rope, forcing the young hero back down to the ground. Luckily for him, he was able to land on his feet. "That's it, Chain Dink! I'm gonna blast you into bits!" He bellowed, the barrel of his football launcher pointed at the white haired superhero again.

"Not so fast, Quarterback. You forgot one VERY important thing."

"What's that!?" He snapped. In response, Chain Linc pointed up. The Hazeltuckey bruiser growled and looked to see what he was pointing at. His face went pale as he saw the explosive footballs falling right back down, where he was standing. "...oh dang it…" He whimpered as the footballs landed right on him, each one exploding in succession.

"What was that?" Hawk asked, turning his head toward the cloud of smoke and dust where his friend stood. Grappler took advantage of his distraction by decking him across the face with a right hook, followed by a mighty uppercut that knocked the felonious charger into the air. Then, she leaped up to meet him, grinning as they both ascended.

"Hey. Guess what time it is?" She said with a big, toothy grin. Linebacker quickly looked at his watch, a little nervous now. "That's right!" She declared before he could answer, grabbing hold of his arms. "It's...PILEDRIVER TIME!" She flipped him upside down and clung to him with both arms and legs right at the apex of their ascent. Then, gravity beckoned the both of them, the bulked up brunette start to spin the both of them in midair. The two of them hit the ground a few seconds later...or more accurately, Linebacker did, his entire upper body stuck into the pavement, the impact knocking him out. "Hehehe. I don't get to do that NEARLY enough." She said before turning to Lincoln. "You got goon number two, Chain Linc?" She inquired as the smoke started to clear.

"I think so." He replied, checking on the charred and out cold Quarterback. "The dipstick blasted himself with his own weapon, but he'll recover sooner or later." He shook his head as he looked at the two. "I guess it was only a matter of time before we found out bad people got powers from the incident…"

"Yeah, but they weren't anything we couldn't handle, little super bro." She asked with a grin, pulling him in to noogie his helmet.

"Hehehe. Yeah, I guess." Lincoln chuckled, just letting her do it (since he couldn't get out of her grasp anyway). "...but what's going to happen if someone evil with a brain gets powers?" He asked no one in particular as the police started to arrive.

* * *

A couple miles away at the local Royal Woods Super Store, Rita Loud was doing some grocery shopping with her daughters, Lucy and Lola. Lucy wanted to get a few more ingredients to make her fake blood, and Lola was running low on her favorite chocolate filled cupcakes. They were just reviewing their shopping list at the front of the store when they heard some kind of commotion by the entrance. A...happier sort of commotion. The trio looked to the door to see what was up, only to see a little girl with long red hair, the pinkest of pink dresses, little red shoes, rosy cheeks, big glittery eyes, pearly white teeth in an adorable smile, and a big pink bow on her head. The nearest grown ups were doting over this precious little thing, while Lucy felt herself shudder in horror. "...who even is that?" She asked, taking a step back.

"I don't know...but she looks somewhat familiar…" Lola said, her eyes narrowed. She couldn't explain why, but she felt a burning dislike for this girl from the moment she saw her.

"Hello everyone~!" The little girl chirped in a sing song voice. "I am Sweet Pea, the most adorable little cutie patootie around."

"Awwwww…" Rita sighed, smiling at the child.

"...I think I'm going to be sick…" Lucy moaned, holding her stomach.

"...someone is getting too big for her stockings…" The pageant princess growled, her hands clenched into fists. Sweet Pea skipped her way over to the nearest cashier.

"Excuse me, Miss cashier lady...may I have the money in your cash box, pleeeeease?" She asked her sweetly, tilting her head and giving her the big, adorable eyes.

"The money? Well…."

"Puhweeeeeeeeeeeease?" She asked again, fluttering her eyelashes at her.

"Oh…..ok." The cashier said with a giggle, pulling the till out of her register. "Paper or plastic, sweetheart?"

"Oh no. Both are sooo bad for the environment. I brought my own." She said, pulling a cloth sack from behind her back. The crowd of grown ups all thought that was the cutest, most thoughtful thing ever.

"Lucy! Look!" Lola said suddenly.

"I'm trying not to...I feel ill enough…"

"She's robbing the store." The prissy twin explained, glaring at the overly sweet girl. "We need to do something…" She added in a softer voice.

"...I can provide for us some cover." Lucy whispered. She looked back to make sure there was no one behind them before she hid a hand behind her back, muttering "Klatu berata nikto…" A little spark of dark magic floated up to the lights and, within a second of the spell reaching it, everything went pitch black. There was some panic as no one could see, even Sweet Pea squeaked with fear. However, this was perfect for Lola and Lucy. Lola sprinkled her glitter all over herself, changing into Tattle Tail. Lucy, meanwhile, was surrounded by a large, oaken coffin. A few seconds inside, a shadowy mist emerged from casket before it opened, The Mystic Mortician emerging with her scythe in hand. With the two changed into their hero alter ego, the lights suddenly came back on.

"Hold it right there!" Tattle Tail called out, holding a gloved hand out while Mystic Mortician hung back. The heroine in pink got that attention of all the adults fawning over Sweet Pea, as well as the offending girl herself. "That money doesn't belong to you!"

"Why not? I asked super duper nicely, and the nice lady gave it to me."

"Are you going to return that money you stole, or is this going to have to get ugly?" The tail bearing heroine asked, storming up to Sweet Pea. Her hostility was earning her disapproving looks, even from her own mother.

"Oh! I don't believe in violence." The red headed girl said with a throaty giggle.

"Trust me…" Lola growled, grabbing her by the front of her dress. "...it exists."

"Citchy citchy coo!" She sang, skittering her fingers along Tattle Tail's underarms. She was not expecting this and was thrown into a fit of laughter, letting go of the super sweet girl.

"Gahahahahahaha! Stop! No fahahahair tickling! Hahahahahaha!" The eavesdropper of the team complained, falling to her knees as Sweet Pea mercilessly tickled her. Her fans were laughing at the sight, most of them thinking Tattle Tail was getting exactly what she deserved. "Mahahahahahystic! Help!" The pale mistress of magic took a few steps forward to help her sister, but froze before getting too close, looking kind of green in the face. Fortunately, her sudden move did get Sweet Pea's attention.

"Oh goodness...what a gloomy gus you are." She said in shock, ceasing her tickle torture of Tattle Tail, who was trying to regain her breath on her knees. "I think someone needs huggies!"

"Please...don't come any closer...or I may be violently ill…" Lucy warned her, backing away from the sickeningly cute little girl. She ignored the dark haired spellcaster's warning and kept right on skipping over with arms outstretched. She probably could have used her magic to repel her, but she couldn't justify it for herself. She wasn't a threat to her, except that she was about to make her lose her lunch. Just before Sweet Pea could hug her, Mystic Mortician turned her head and, as she warned, threw up on the floor beside her. A tiny speck of sick ended up splattering on the hem of her dress. "I...tried to...warn you." She groaned as she tried to recover from her nausea.

"My….my dress…" Sweet Pea whined as she looked at the ever so tiny stain on the hem, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but-" The morbid little hero started to say.

"You. Ruined…" She interrupted her in a furious tone, her little hands turned into fists as she started to grow in size. "My." Patches of red fur were appearing all over her body, her teeth elongated into sharp fangs, and her ears became pointed and furry. "DRESS!" She screamed in fury as her eyes opened to reveal cat like eyes and a feline tail stuck out of the back of her dress. She had turned into monstrous (well, proportionate to her size) cat creature, and by the look in her eyes, she was out for blood. "...and that makes me a SOUR PUSS!"

"Klatu Barata-!" Lucy started to chant, but the feline monster struck first, pouncing on her and pinning her to the ground. Once she had the pale girl down, Sour Puss grabbed her by the throat and started to choke her. Fortunately, Tattle Tail had regained her strength and unleashed a sonic scream right at the catty menace. The high pitched screech seemed to snap the store patrons, employees and their mother out of whatever trance Sweet Pea had put them in. Rita was the first to recover from the disorientation, gasping in horror as she saw the cat monster currently pinning Lucy and being screamed at by Lola, her hands over her ears. In the blink of an eye, she sped away and returned in her Glacial Gal costume. Sour Puss turned her attention to Tattle Tail, hissing as she climbed off the little mortician.

"Mystic! Are you alright?" The superpowered mother asked as she rushed over to check on her daughter.

"...Is anyone going to get that telephone…?" Mystic Mortician groaned.

"Telephone?"

"...I can hear it ringing non stop…"

"Oops. Sorry Mystic…" Tattle Tail apologized, not realizing she had gotten her sister in the scream as she leaped back to avoid getting clawed by Sour Puss. She couldn't scream at her again, so she was forced to improvise. As the feline monster reared back to pounce again, Lola sprang upward and twirled in the air. Her tail lashed out and smacked her opponent like a whip across the face. Sour Puss looked positively stunned by this, especially when she got a second smack to the other side of her face. Tattle Tail smirked, getting just a little cocky as she tried for a third time to tail whip her. However, the cat creature was ready this time, grabbing her by the tail before hurling her toward the front windows. Before she could hit the glass, Glacial Gal ran in front of her and caught her in your arms. "Whew...thanks, super mom…"

"You're welcome, dear...take a little rest and help get the innocents out of here...I'll handle this mangy monster…" Tattle Tail nodded, her mother setting her down before rushing to engage Sour Puss. During this time, Mystic Mortician had caught her breath and got back to her feet, watching as her ice empowered mother tried to freeze the cat creature in place. She knew her mother would be more than a match for her, if she were a grown up. However, Glacial Gal would know that Sour Puss was still a child, and she would hold back. Sour Puss, however, would most likely not. They needed to stop her before she seriously hurt someone. But how?

'Hmmm. She got angry when her dress got even a little stained. Taking care of that may help. But sick stains are tough to remove…' Mystic Mortician thought as her eyes darted around. Her eyes fell upon a few shattered bottles on the floor, which left a clear, bubbly liquid on the floor. She looked up to see what it used to be. "Club soda? Hmmm…."

Glacial Gal unleashed a torrent of ice from her hands, aimed right at Sour Puss. The furious kitty criminal lashed out rapidly with her claws, shredding the ice and hissing angrily. When the Loud mother's assault ended, an ice sculpture of a bird lay at the villain's feet. Sour Puss growled for a moment, but when she found the sculpture, her eyes went wide. "Oh! Birdie!" She said, getting down on all fours. She started to circle the ice statue, as if she were stalking it before batting it around a little.

"...not necessarily what I had in mind...but if it works…" The Loud speedster commented to herself. Lola, meanwhile, was trying to get the civilians and employees out of the store to safety. This became even more difficult as now Sour Puss was acting cute, playing with the little idol of ice.

"Go on! Clear the building!" Lola instructed, trying to push Scoots out of the store.

"But she's so adorable…" The lead footed geriatric said, craning her neck to try and get a better look at the cat creature.

"Watch a cat video!" The blonde haired superheroine snapped, pushing her scooter out and shutting the door. "Sheesh…"

"Tattle Tail, if you and Glacial Gal can distract her for a few more minutes, I think I have a plan to stop her without hurting her." Mystic Mortician whispered into her sister's ear, causing her to jump.

"Geez! It's even creepier when you do that in that get up!" Tattle Tail complained, her heart racing from the fright. "...what is it?"

"Just keep her busy." The morbid little lady swung her scythe through the air. creating a portal for her to walk through.

"Ok...keep the horrible cat monster busy...REAL simple." Tattle Tail grumbled sarcastically, turning to look at Sour Puss, who was getting bored with the ice bird. "Then again…"

"Mrrrooow! You may have distracted me for a little bit, but I-!"

"Here kitty kitty kitty!" Tattle Tail called out. Sour Puss turned her head with a sneer, but it changed to a look of interest in an instant. Lola had extended her tail and was swishing it along the ground, as if it were a cat toy. Once more, the feline monster got on all fours, her eyes darting left and right, following the end of her tail. After a second of observation, she leaped toward her tail, only for Tattle Tail to swipe it away. Undeterred, the human sized cat simply sprang again, clamping her hands over the microphone at the end of the heroine's tail...or so she thought. Sour Puss peeked into her hands, only to find them empty. Lola couldn't help but giggle. This was actually kind of fun, danger notwithstanding. However, the angry cat was a sore loser and quickly losing interest in the game. She narrowed her eyes at Tattle Tail, ignoring the tail now.

"Hey, Sour Puss." This time, it was Mystic Mortician that had spoke. "Thirsty?"

"...now that you mention it, I am somewhat parched." While she and the feline criminal were speaking, Mystic had three bottles floating behind her back, each surrounded by a dark aura. She motioned for her sister and mother to back away from the villain, which they did (albeit reluctantly in Rita's case).

"Then have a drink…" The little caster suddenly revealed the bottle of club soda, spraying it all over Sour Puss. The cat creature screamed as she was soaked in carbonated beverage. While she was somewhat shaken, Mystic Mortician drew her next tool, a travel bottle of laundry detergent. She squirted the contents all over Sour Puss' dress. This further enraged her, but not quite as much as the stream of seltzer that Lucy sprayed her with next. She was frothing at the mouth in anger by the end...or perhaps some soap got into her mouth. It was hard to tell and the occult fancying girl wasn't about to wait and find out. She raised her weapon and slashed a new portal open. A powerful burst of hot air surged from it, nearly knocking Sour Puss off her feet, but drying her off in no time at all. After a couple seconds, the Mystic Mortician dismissed the portal, her opponent's fur fluffing up.

"Why you insolent little…"

"Your dress is clean." Lucy informed her, gesturing to the hem where the stain used to be. Sour Puss leered down where she was pointing, then blinked in surprise.

"It...the stain. It's gone." She said. Once this fact sunk in, the girl started to shrink back to her normal size, the fur, tail, fangs and claws all sinking back into her and, for a moment or so, she looked somewhat normal. Long enough for Tattle Tail to make a discovery.

'Lindsey!?' She thought in shock as her hated rival changed right back into Sweet Pea.

"All is right with my world once again!" She cheered, back to being sickeningly cheery.

"...I think I liked her better as a cat monster trying to kill me…" Lucy mumbled, looking kinda green again.

"Good work, girls. Good thinking, Mystic." Glacial Gal said as she approached the overly adorable little girl. "Young lady, you are going to have to return that money and then we'll have to have a chat with the police."

"Oh...do we have to talk to the policemen? Can't we just forget the whole thing, pweeease?" The super mother flinched, trying her best to resist her charm.

"I'm sorry, but we have to."

"Pwetty puhweeeeeeease…"

"Mom! Remember, we have a job to do!" Tattle Tail reminded her sternly with crossed arms. Fortunately, the public was already aware of how they super hero team was related, even if they didn't know their secret identities.

"Right...right...don't pay attention to the cuteness." Rita muttered to her. "No, Sweet Pea. You have to see the police...or at very least, your parents need to know. Now come with me." She continued, holding out a hand.

"...yes ma'am." Sweet Pea moaned in defeat, hanging her head as she took Glacial Gal's hand and was escorted out of the store.

"Seriously, Mystic...that was some good thinking." Tattle Tail said with a smile, walking over to shake her sister's hand.

"Thanks. Good thing I remembered what Lincoln and Mom said about how effective at clearing stains club soda was."

"Speaking of, how did you know cleaning her dress would work?"

"I didn't. I was more praying it would work." Mystic Mortician admitted. "And thank goodness it did."

* * *

Over at Royal Woods Stadium, it was a mere hour before the gates opened for a big home game for the Royal Woods professional baseball team. Naturally, the parking lot was filled to capacity with fans doing some tailgating before the game began. These fans included Lynn Sr and his friend, Kotaro, with the former going to town on his cowbell, and the latter grilling some sausages on a portable charcoal grill behind Kotaro's van. "This is gonna be one heck of a game, isn't it, Lynn?"

"It sure is, buddy. Biggest game in a long time." The Loud patriarch confirmed with a nod. "Looks like almost everyone in town came to watch."

"And they look ready to party!" Kotaro said with a laugh, turning his attention to a middle aged man in a tall forest green top hair, a matching cape with gold inlay, a lime green suit and black dress shoes. His hair was a graying black and he had a pencil thin mustache. "Especially that guy."

"Wonder where he came from." Lynn Sr wondered, lowering his cowbell. "Those aren't the Randtown colors." He frowned a bit as he saw the man stride purposefully through the lot. He couldn't help but feel he saw him somewhere before, but where?

"Hey, buddy!" Kotaro called out, getting the man's attention. "You really put on the dog today, eh?"

"But of course, my friend." The well dressed man said with a charismatic smile and an ostentatious tone. "For today is a milestone day."

"Excuse me, but have we met before?" The Loud father inquired with his hand on his chin.

"I don't think so, my good man...but perhaps you may have seen me on tv." He grinned as he tipped his top hat. "My show was one of the highest rated in America in the sixties." Lynn Sr considered what he said for a moment before he understood, his face lighting up.

"Now I remember! The Quiz Master's Challenge!" He declared, which made the man in the green suit smile and nod. "I watched that show whenever I stayed home sick from school."

"Ah, it does my heart good to hear someone who remembers." He said, removing his hat to Lynn Sr and bowing slightly.

"So what brings you to the stadium dressed like the Quiz Master?"

"Dressed like? My good man, I AM the one and only Quiz Master!" The man exclaimed, getting the attention of a few partying fans nearby.

"Really? Wow. Time has been really kind to you." An impressed Kotaro commented, looking the man over. The Quiz Master's face fell as he looked down to the side.

"If only that were the truth…" He muttered in a melancholy manner. He quickly snapped back into his showman attitude before he continued. "...anyway, I came here today to make a special announcement regarding The Quiz Master's Challenge."

"They're remaking it?" Lynn Sr asked with raised eyebrows. "They're rebooting everything these days."

"In a manner of speaking…" The top hatted man said with a smirk. "If you gentlemen will excuse me." He turned on his heel and turned toward the center of the lot. This didn't sit well with Lynn Sr as he chugged down a soda.

"Excuse me, Kotaro, but I need to hit the bathroom." The head of the Loud House said, looking a little panicked. He ran off toward the port-a-potties lined up some distance away. He had no intention of actually using the head however. He ducked behind them instead, pulling out his cell phone. "Chef calling HQ." He said quietly.

"Hearing you loud and clear, Popstar. What's the sitch?" Luna responded.

"I strongly suspect something big is going to go down at Royal Woods stadium. Backup may be necessary."

"Roger that, dad. AF is in the area. She'll be there in ten."

"Thanks Deci-Belle. Chef out." Lynn Sr turned off his cell phone and watched quietly from the toilets.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The Quiz Master called loudly, getting everyone's attention. "I am The Quiz Master! You may remember from my game show some time back. You may also remember how it was cancelled unceremoniously at its prime. Well, that will change very soon. Soon enough, The Quiz Master's Challenge will be back on the air, just like old times!" He paused a moment to bathe in the cheers and applause he thought would come his way. However, all he got were confused looks, half hearted claps, and a few "Uh...that's nice?" comments. "Thank you, thank you." The top hatted man said, as if he had heard the ovation he felt he deserved. "Of course, such a momentous television revival requires a significant amount of money. So, I trust you can see it in your hearts to generously donate to see your once and future favorite show return to the air." The man pulled off his top hat and proceeded to shake it. A cluster of cubes and spheres fell from his chapeau, most of them growing to large size. Most of the cubes turned into robotic red and white checkered cubes, while the spheres sprouted helicopter blades and little cameras. They took to the air as a few of the spheres remained small and started skittering around on spider legs. "Simply place your donations into the receptacle in the Whammy Bots front face." A hatch opened up in front of all the cubic droids. "Donations of fifty dollars or greater will receive a signed photo of The Quiz Master." He pulled several 8x10 glossies from inside his coat.

"And if we don't donate?" Someone asked from the crowd. The ex game show host turned to one of the Whammy Bots, giving it a nod. The robot's faces started scrambling for a moment, until the front face was all yellow. A beam of electrical energy surged from the droid's face, completely destroying someone's sports car as everyone scrambled out of the way.

"Anyone else want to press their luck?" He asked nonchalantly, and when no one answered, he added. "Oh, and whoever's car that was...they need not worry about donating. Now off you go, Whammy Bots. You know what to do."

"We interrupt this broadcast…" Iron Chef said as he flew onto the scene, catching the ostentatious extortionist off guard. "...for a word from our sponsor." He reached into his chef jacket and pulled out a container of salt.

"Ah. Simply Salt. One of our finest sponsors." The Quiz Master said, relaxing a little. "Fine salt crystals with nothing else added. Just simply salt."

"Too right. Just the thing to kick it up a notch." The Loud father replied, pouring the salt all over his hand, which got absorbed into his metal palm. He then directed his hand down toward the nearest robotic block. "BAM!" A solid rock of salt shot from his hand and smashed right into the robot, destroying it with ease.

"What the!?" The Quiz Master exclaimed in shock. "Get that iron plated interloper!" The whammy bots turn away from the baseball fans, gathering up to start attacking The Iron Chef, while the camera drones retracted their cameras and extended tesla coils, flying toward the airborne hero. He swiped his hand across the air, an arc of fire flying into the nearest group of flying spheres, reducing them to dust. While all this was going on, the tiny orbs on spider legs were crawling around the lot, some of them clinging to the legs of men, women and children present, who were trying to get well clear of the battle. When they noticed these metallic clingers, they started to panic even more, with some of them reaching down to pull them off.

"Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you." He warned them, waving a finger at them. "That is, unless you want them to go off." The robotic cubes stared up at Iron Chef, their faces scrambling once more. A few of them turned all white, while a few turned all blue. The former launched a barrage of small missiles at the fire controlling hero, while the other fired beams of frigid ice. Lynn Sr's iron plating allowed him to tank the missiles like they were nothing, and while the rays of ice had tried to seal him, easily melted it by raising his own body temperature. However, as he was focused on the whammy bots, he didn't see a few of the little flying droids sneaking up on him. The moment they got close enough, they unleashed arcs of electricity into the Iron Chef, causing him to cry out in pain before falling to the ground, slamming face down into the asphalt. "Well well. Looks like you're in jeopardy, Iron Chef."

"And you're about to be in double jeopardy!" April Fool called out. She was riding onto the scene aboard her younger sister's hovering disc, a massive mallet in hand and Mr Coconuts on her shoulder. The cubic automatons were momentarily distracted by the sound of her voice, giving her a chance to swing her hammer as she flew through them, destroying three and knocking the others over.

"Strike!" The living dummy cheered, leaping off her shoulder down to the fallen hero to help him up. It was pretty tricky, since he was so small and Iron Chef was, well, iron. "Ugh...geez...you couldn't be the Aluminum Chef, or the Steel Chef, or the Gonna Go On A Diet Chef…" Mr Coconuts complained.

"Watch it, Coconuts…" Lynn Sr growled as he slowly stood up. April Fool seemed to be mopping up the rest of the whammy bots nicely with a spring loaded boxing glove in her spritz flower, but there were still the little tesla fliers, and they were starting to gang up on her. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a bottle of a dark liquid from his coat, letting it get absorbed into his hand. "Here's the lamb SAUCE!" He bellowed, spraying the air with the gloopy brown sauce. Not only did the added weight make it difficult for the little robots to fly, but when the liquid made contact with the coils, they ended up shocking themselves, rendering the entire swarm useless as they all fell to the pavement.

"Whoa. Nice one, Chef. Now let's get Sir Top of Hat before he takes it on the lamb. Hahaha!" April Fool jested as they both went to face The Quiz Master.

"Now hold on there, super jester." He said, raising a hand in front of him to stop them. "I realize that, if it were to come to blows, I would stand nary a chance against you two. However, I think you have more important matters to deal with." At that exact moment, one of the last little spider bots had sprang forward and latched itself onto the back of Mr Coconut's head.

"Ah! Get it off me! Get it off me!" The little wooden man screamed, starting to run around in circles.

"Calm down, Pinocchio. Those droids won't trigger...provided you start playing the game by my rules. If you don't...I'm afraid those little creations of mine will detonate, and though they may be small, they pack a very devastating punch." April Fool and Iron Chef look at one another with very concerned looks. They realized they didn't really have much choice in the matter.

"Alright, Quiz Master...what is your game then?" Iron Chef grumbled.

"Very good. Now, since we're short on time, we're going to skip to the lightning round." Some music starts to play, very distorted, from the wrecked tesla drones. "If you wish to save these people and the little wooden pest, you simply have to answer a single, multi part question. You have thirty seconds after the question is asked to answer. Ready? Here we go." He pulled a flash card from his pocket. "Lucky you. This is an easy one. A three part question, leading to the final answer. The question is: What is the penalty for speeding, while the pot calls the blank black, and as I depart, I say 'Thanks for all the blank.' Put them together and answer me this: This situation you find yourself in is…?" There was a soft ticking sound as Luan and Lynn Sr considered the riddle for a moment.

"The first part is easy...a fine." Lynn Sr said, a bell dinging from somewhere.

"Very good, Mr Chef. Five more seconds for you."

"And the second part...the pot calls the kettle black." April Fool answered, earning them another ding and an extra five seconds. The last part of question, however, kind of had them both stumped.

'The obvious answer is memories…' Iron Chef thought. 'But that doesn't make sense…"

'Laughs? No. That doesn't work…' April Fool mentally considered. The time was quickly slipping away, everyone getting more and more nervous.

"Well, this here is a fine kettle of fish…" Mr Coconuts grumbled, crossing his arms angrily in front of him.

"Come again?" The Quiz Master asked in surprise.

"I said this here is a fine kettle of fish!" The dummy repeated himself louder. A loud ringing sound rang through the lot when he said that. "Huh?"

"That is correct, blockhead." The Quiz Master informed him, a little irked that the dummy got it, pulling his hat off his head. "A fine is the penalty for speeding, while the pot calls the kettle black, and as I depart, I say...thanks for all the fish!" He pointed his hat at them, sending a deluge of fish right at them. A large carp smacked April Fool in the face, knocking her to the ground, while Iron Chef slipped on a few sardines trying to go after the ex game show host. While they were dow, he pulled a disc with a dial on it from his hat. "Time to see what the wheel of fortune has planned for me." He quickly spun the dial as the two heroes tried to get back up. "That's our show for today. Good day, good luck and don't forget to tune in next time for The Quiz Master's Challenge!" He closed as the dial finally stopped and the showman disappeared in a spark of electricity.

"Dang it...he got away…" April Fool groaned, rubbing the scales and fish water from her face.

"At least the civilians are all safe." Iron Chef told her, watching as the spider bots deactivated and fell to the ground, inert. "I'll consider that a big win."

"Well, for everyone but that guy." The ventriloquist dummy pointed over at a young man crying by the wreck that was his sports car. The leader of the Loud heroes thought for a moment and pulled out his phone.

"Miss Fix It, are you busy at the moment? We could use your assistance at Royal Woods Stadium….uh huh. A ruined car. Porsche, I think. Struck by a beam of lightning. You'll be right over. Excellent. We'll be here." He hung up the phone and walked over to the car owner to comfort him. He didn't think Lana could make it as good as new, but she could get it in working order and make it somewhat less expensive to repair.

* * *

As the sun started to go down, a tall figure in a wide fedora and trenchcoat approached Flip's Gas Station. It was often the scene of shady deals, mostly a result of Flip being so cheap and his utter disregard for rules and regulations of pretty much any kind. However, this was a whole new level of shady. The figure moved to the door, glancing back for a moment to make sure they weren't being followed before entering quickly. The proprietor, Flip, was just in the middle of thinking about cleaning the nacho machine when he heard the bell above the door. He turned his head to see the one who had walked in. "Hey there, stranger. Welcome to Flip's." He hastily got behind the counter as the mystery customer walked to the counter. "What'll it, bud?"

"The sponge arrives at three." The strange replied in a low, gruff voice. Flip's eyes widened as he quickly looked around before he quietly responded.

"Does he come alone?"

"He comes with the average kid no one understands." The short, tubby money grubber smirked as he pushed a button under the counter. The front door locked, a series of hologram images covered the front windows, making it seem nothing was going on inside. He then pulled a lever. All racks, displays, and shelves flipped around or sank into the ground, to be replaced by displays of extraordinary technology, high tech weaponry, acids and chemicals, and a variety of other non tradable commodities.

"I can tell you're a customer with discerning tastes. What's your pleasure?" Flip asked with a confident smile, leaning against the counter. The figure took off her hat, revealing it to be LISA.

"Surprise, Flip." She said in a deadpan tone.

"L..Linguistic Internment-!"

"Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton, yes." LISA interrupted him, a little perturbed he was getting her name so wrong. The shifty gas owner looked down at her feet, then up at her.

"You've grown…"

"A benefit to being a cybernetic being. I'm not purely restricted to my standard model of robotic body."

"Y...you won't believe it, but this stuff...it all just fell off a truck-" Flip nervously tried to make excuses.

"Save it, Flip. I'm not here to arrest you...this time."

"...you're not? Then what are you doing here? And how'd you learn my special password?"

"I have my ways. As for why I am here, I am looking for a very specific part for an invention I am working on. An isotronic venerator."

"Oh...uh...an isotron...er…" Flip was a little nervous, as he didn't have any idea what she was talking about. Fortunately, Lisa knew exactly what she was looking for and spotted it almost instantly.

"It concerns me that you are attempting to sell items that you have no idea what they are and what they do…" She told him with a sigh. "Concerned, but not surprised."

"Hmph. Will that be all…?" He grumbled. Lisa glanced around for a moment, her eyes falling upon a glowing green compound.

"I think I will take that isotope as well...mostly for safety purposes…"

"Suit yourself, robo kid...how do you plan to pay?" He asked as he rang up her items.

"I will transfer the amount to your account immediately." She answered, before going silent for a moment, then saying "Done." He frowned at her skeptically, but when he checked his bank account, the thousands of dollars she sent were right there.

"Whoa...you're on the way to becoming my favorite customer there." He said, handing her her purchases. "Come again...preferably without your fellow crime fighters…"

"Flip, if I truly wanted you arrested, I could have reported you ages ago." LISA told him flatly, making him sweat a bit. She then turned her head toward a display of plasma rifles that even the government didn't know existed yet. "...if I find any of those in the hands of those with villainous intent and even suspect you had a hand in it...I will personally take you down." She warned him. "...and you better pray no one gets hurt as a result."

"Whatever you say, Logheaded Intergrated...whatever…" He grumbled as he returned his store to normal, muttering under his breath. "Good luck proving it, metal midget." LISA had, of course, heard him, but opted to not dignify his comment with a response. Instead, she threw her hat on and headed for home. She could have probably gotten the part she required from the government, but it was a much better deal at Flip's black market, and she was on a budget, so as much as she hated it, it was the more logical option. She planned to keep close tabs on him, though.

* * *

_AN: Quick bio on the villains who appeared here._

_Hank is Quarterback. In addition to having super strength, he can turn his right arm into a powerful cannon, which can launch standard footballs at incredible speeds, as well as various empowered footballs (explosive, elemental charged, etc). His friend, Hawk, is LineBacker. Hs is basically Juggernaught, gifted with super strength and a powerful charge that only gets stronger the more he runs. Neither are especially brillaint and have no long term goals, so they are driven by immediate wants. Will probably end up henchmen, with occasional forays into their own plans._

_Lindsey Sweetwater is Sweet Pea/Sour Puss. Sweet Pea's adorable look and voice has a calming and charming effect on all adults (especially parents) and even some boys and girls her own age. She is an absolute pacifist as Sweet Pea, however, relying on her cuteness to get what she wants and needs. If she is upset or hurt, she transforms into a large, ferocious cat monster named Sour Puss. She gains enhanced strength, agility, sharpened claws and fangs, and hairballs that can melt through most materials (except human skin for some reason. Didn't get to include this during the fight because I forgot to). Sour Puss is beyond reason and positively ruthless, but is easily distracted like most cats. The only way to change her back is to appease her, knock her out, make her laugh, or if she defeats the one who upset her in the first place._

The Quiz Master was once the host of a game show called "The Quiz Master's Challenge" that had gotten cancelled long ago (more on this in the story prominently featuring him as the main villain). He is strongly inspired by The Riddler, but his scemes are more game show based than puzzle and riddle based. He has no actual powers, but has created a number of special robots that help him on his crimes, including: Whammy bots, which can unleash a possibly random attack from its front face. Camera drones which can turn into tesla drones. The wheel of fortune, which can teleport him to one of many possible hideouts he has established at random. Tiny spider bots (haven't thought of a game show like name for them yet) which can be used for spy or extortion purposes. And as a final side note, I know the riddle kinda sucked, but I couldn't really think of another one at the time. I will do better in the future though. Promise.

Flip has no powers and no secret identity. However, he does have a black market business he operates from his gas station. He sells high tech stuff and weapons to the one willing to give him the most money. Good, evil, he doesn't care. The money is all the same to him.


	3. Chapter 3: Not for Sale pt 1

_AN: Originally wanted to do this chapter all at once, but it was getting really really long, so I decided to split it. Before I get into the story I just want respond to a few questions._

_Guest: No Casagrandes? Not necessarily. Just they won't be featured as often. And unfortunately, no, they were not affected by the incident. Psycho cats? Maybe, but not those specific felines. No Sid? Don't panic yet. She may still appear at one point. Just gimmee a chance to see a few episodes to star her (haven't seen most of the most recent ones yet) and I'll see what I can do._

_The pets will probably not play much of a role in the story, other than being support characters._

* * *

Not for sale pt 1

The screech of tires and the grind of failing brakes. That was all that could be heard as the gasoline tanker plowed through the guard rail and toward the edge of a cliff. The driver was trying his best, but the truck was beyond control. Within seconds, the truck rolled right over the side into the canyon below...only to return seconds later, being carried by Lady Glori herself. She set the vehicle back down on the street when the scene changed to April Fool and Chain Linc giving an interview after stopping a convenience store robbery. After that, it was Deci-Belle and Fashion Plate helping the police book a street gang the latter heroine had infiltrated. Iron Chef holding Tiger Lily as he shook hands with the mayor, Glacial Gal and Grappler taking down an attempted kidnapper, the images kept changing to news bits about the super powered family on a wide screen television screen. It was being watched by a small, round man with a round head and white hair. He was wearing a fine suit and a hat almost taller than him. He was sitting at the head of a long table, with several men and women dressed in business formal lining the table. "You see my point?" The round man said, pointing a gold cane at the screen. "These young heroes are rising stars, not just in our community, but country wide as well."

"Indeed they are, Mr Tetherby…" A puny man wringing his hands right beside the wealthy man agreed quietly.

"As such, this makes it a golden opportunity. If we can get in on the ground floor, we could stand to make a LOT of money."

"Of course, Lord Tetherby." A young, dark haired lady spoke up, rising from her seat. "Superheroes are really big these days, and real life superheroes would naturally be even bigger."

"Indeed." A sandy haired older man agreed. "Movies, comics, video games, tv shows…"

"Live appearances, toys, we could go on forever." Lord Tetherby continued with a smile. "And because there are so many of them, the merchandise would be through the roof." He chuckled a bit at the thought of all the money they could potentially make. "Anyway, that is part of the reason we are having this meeting...I want you all to get to work designing prototypes for said merchandise."

"Err...with all due respect, wouldn't that be jumping the gun, sir?"

"Perhaps, but I feel I could persuade them into taking the deal. It's in all of our best interests, after all. Besides, having a little something prepared for them to see can only help." A few of the men and women in the boardroom agreed with him, while others seemed wary. "Just have a few action figure prototypes ready by the beginning of next week. I will handle the rest. Oh, and Measly…"

"Wesley, sir…" The puny man beside him corrected him.

"Right. Measly. Have a contract written up and ready to be signed by then as well." He said, ignoring his yes man lawyer before shooing him off. "Moving on, any further new business…?"

* * *

A week later…

"...and since then, we've made friendly contact with three other groups who had also gained exceptional powers in the wake of the incident." LISA said, standing in front of a map of the US being displayed on the main screen of her supercomputer. She and her super family were having a group meeting to discuss new developments and how best to proceed in the future. Presently, Lisa had the floor. "The Hazeltuckey Heroes Guild, the Guardians of Great Lakes City, and The Element Warriors from Omega City." With each group and city she described, a new mark appeared on the map.

"That is excellent news, Lisa." Iron Chef said with a nod and a smile. "The more super groups we can ally with, the greater the good we can all do together."

"Indeed. I have also reached out to them with regard to the incident in question." Lisa continued before looking down at the floor. "...and sadly, they don't know much more than we do at this juncture."

"What do we know at this point, Leese?" Deci-Belle inquired, leaning forward in her seat to get a better look at the little android.

"Not a lot, I am both annoyed and ashamed to say…" The Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton admitted with a sigh. "We all know that, over a month ago, a brilliant light enveloped the Earth. The cause of which is yet unknown, although during the phenomena, electrical systems around the globe went haywire, including my own computer. When the light had subsided, certain individuals on the planet had discovered they possess what are commonly referred to as superpowers." The family all looked to one another after the young genius had said that. None of them would forget where they were and what they were doing when the incident took place…

* * *

Lincoln was out helping his grandfather, Albert, with some spring cleaning at the retirement home. He was just lugging out some chains Scoots had tossed into his arms as he was taking some trash out (why she had those chains, the young man didn't want to know) when the light momentarily consumed him. When he regained his vision, the trash bags he was carrying were on the ground, and the chains were wrapped around his arms. The curious thing was they felt weightless while they were there. He started to panic as he tried to get them off, but they wouldn't move until he thought 'Come on, you stupid chains. Get off!' Then, the steel links slid off his arms and coiled up neatly on the ground, much to his shock.

Luna was jamming with her bandmates and her girlfriend, Sam, at the school auditorium. Typical day for her, really. That all changed when the light shone over them. The rocker was too far into the groove to notice, but she did notice when she really started shredding her ax, a burst of sound waves shot from the neck to the air conditioning unit on the ceiling. Fortunately for her, none of her mates heard it, as they were playing really loud as usual. However, they did see and hear the massive unit as it fell to the ground, the shock of the sound waves breaking the supports holding it up. The others blamed it on the school being too cheap on maintenance, while Luna just stared in shock between her guitar and the fallen unit.

Lola was engaging in a little of one of her favorite past times; eavesdropping. Yes, she wasn't as much of a collector of blackmail material as she used to be, but old habits died hard, and she always found it helpful to keep a little ace in the sleeve of her gloves. She was listening at the door to Lori's room as she spoke to her boyfriend Bobby on her phone. Nothing out of the ordinary there; in fact, there was rarely ever anything in their conversations that Lola and the others hadn't heard a million times before. She was about to go find someone else to spy on when her eyes were stung with the blinding light. When she could see again, she quickly noticed she could hear not just into Lori's room, but what was going on in the entire house, and even a little into Mr Grouse's house. Every creak of the wood, every rattle of the pipes, it got to the point where she had to cover her ears to prevent auditory overload, not yet noticing the tail she had just grown.

The moment the radiance reached Lori's phone, it started to mess up before going dead. Naturally angered, the oldest of the sisters squeezed the phone in her grasp, which was crushed like a bug. This caused a panic in Lori as she rushed out of her room, right past Lola, and headed right for Lisa's room. She went to knock on the door, but a single knock sent the door flying off of its hinges and through the opposite wall, right over an unresponsive Lisa on the ground. The authoritative blonde just gazed in shock as she looked at what she had just done, her comatose sister on the floor and the image of Lisa's head on her computer screen with an equally shocked look. She was so alarmed by what she had seen, she just screamed.

Moments earlier, Lisa was in her room, hard at work on yet another experiment. She was documenting the results onto her personal computer when the as of yet unknown event occurred to her. The light passed through her room and her computer, causing it to go ballistic. Used to such things going wrong, she attempted to remedy the issue by turning the device off. The moment she touched the power button, however, she felt a kind of electric shock go through her and she blacked out for a moment. When she came to, she found herself staring out into her room from the computer screen, and down at her unconscious form. This in and of itself was a lot for the little genius to take in, but then she witnessed her door flying past like it were hit by a battering ram, and her oldest sister's look of utter confusion, fright, fear and a little hint of frustration from the door.

Lana was down in the basement with Lynn Jr, checking on the boiler while her older sister worked out. As it was approaching summer, they didn't really need it, but she wanted to check for issues before they did. Satisfied with the check up, she turned to watch as Lynn bench pressed some weights while she cleaned her tools. The sporty Loud had just finished when they were both engulfed in the light. The handywoman dropped her screwdriver to cover her eyes, causing it to roll under her father's tool chest. It was too far under for her to reach, and the chest too heavy for her to move, so she asked Lynn for assistance, not yet noticing how buff Lynn had suddenly gotten. The athletic Loud agreed and, in an effort to show off, attempted to lift the tool chest with one hand...which she did with ease to her own shock. Lana and Lynn just looked at her overly muscled body for a moment, but before any questions could be asked, Lori screamed from upstairs. The tomboy twin quickly scooped up her screwdriver and ran upstairs to investigate while Lynn remained behind to figure out what just happened.

When the mud and animal loving Loud reached the top of the stairs, Lori was a babbling mess. She was on her knees, the remains of her phone in her hand and tears in her eyes as Lola was trying and failing to get her to calm down. Lana carefully took the phone from her hands, looking it over for a few seconds before she started to work on it. In the blink of an eye, she got it not only put back together, but working as good as the day she got it. This helped ease the oldest sister up and earned her gratitude (as well as a near crushing hug from the teen who didn't know her own strength at the moment), but it rose even more questions for everyone. How did Lana do that? She was always good with tools before, but never that good. She never even worked on cellular phones before. How was Lori so strong? What happened to Lisa? And where did Lola get that tail that they now just noticed?

Up in the darkest corner of the attic, Lucy was doing a little meditation, hoping to better attune herself to the spirit realms. It wasn't easy finding enough quiet time in the Loud House for such activities, but now was about as good as she was going to get for a while. So intent was she on her focus that she never saw the light coming her way. She felt it though, and then felt something surge through her body. Something that felt familiar, yet strange. Then, she saw it. A face in the darkness: the face of a pale man with one red eye and one glass eye, an almost non-existent nose, a pointed chin, and spidery black hair. He smirked at her before he said, in an almost haunting whisper "Luuuucy...it seems you have been granted the gift…"

Leni was cheerfully making sure everything was neat and presentable at the clothing store where she worked. She loved her job, so much so that she was oblivious to the light that enveloped her and the whole store for a brief moment. However, there was one frequent customer that nobody there liked. An older woman who seemed to make it her mission to make any worker who encounters her miserable. And unfortunately for Leni, not only was she on the warpath, but she was in her crosshairs. The moment the kindly, if dim blonde spotted the woman, she hastily tried to get out of sight. The customer from Hades was right on her trail, however, with every intention of screaming her lungs out at her. She turned around a display of jeans where she had seen her target pass seconds ago and...found no one there. To her surprise, there were only three mannequins, each wearing the best the store had to offer. The foul tempered customer was flummoxed. She could have sworn Leni came this way. She shrugged it off after a few seconds and went off on the prowl to find someone else to harass. As soon as she was gone, the center mannequin turned its head, looking to make sure she was gone. Once she was sure it was safe, Leni took the mannequin face off her own, breathing a sigh of relief. She pulled off the disguise clothes (wearing her own underneath it), folded it back up nice and neat, and went on about her day as if nothing happened.

Lynn Sr was at the Aloha Comrade, helping prepare for the transition from lunch to dinner. He was the only one in the kitchen at the time, as his boss was in his office looking over the books. He was in the process of slicing the vegetables and garnishes when suddenly his vision was obscured by the mysterious light. Not only was he momentarily blinded, but the electric igniter in the oven went crazy. It sparked madly before it caused the oven to erupt into flames. The flames spread quickly around the kitchen as Lynn Sr's vision was restored. His boss tried to rush in to help, but the way was blocked by flames. Instead, he had to go call the fire department. Though he was surrounded by fire, the Loud father could see the kitchen fire extinguisher just past the inferno. He braced himself as he reached for it...but he felt nothing. The fire wasn't hurting him. In fact, it was being absorbed into his skin. He was, naturally, shocked, but his survival instinct was still going strong. He grabbed the extinguisher and cleared a path out of the kitchen, meeting up with his boss outside.

Rita was sitting by the sandbox, watching as Lily played in the playground in the park with a content smile on her face. Her peace was momentarily disrupted by the sound of a parade: the circus was in town. This got Lily's attention, who tried to toddle off to see it herself. Her attempted escape was stymied when her mother picked her up, but the Loud mother still started to bring her toward the parade. Before they arrived, the strange light overtook them, momentarily gazing them. Unfortunately, this also startled the animals in the parade. The elephants scattered, a few of them stampeding toward the park. The Loud matriarch gasped when she saw the pachyderms headed for them and ran for it...moving almost as fast as the speed of sound. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't used to moving at this speed and ended up tripping on a rock. She turned so she wouldn't land on Lily. The frightened elephant was barreling down upon them, but before it could reach them, the infant suddenly changed herself into a bull elephant, with her mother on her back. The transmogrified Lily stood her ground against the charging pachyderm, forcing it back and away from them, back toward its trainer. The moment the elephant was reined in, Lily changed back with no one the wiser, giggling, while Rita was trying to figure out what she just experienced.

Luan was strolling along the street, carrying a bag of brand new gag items and prank tools and whistling a happy tune. She was just crossing a street, minding her own business when she was bathed in the mysterious light. She took the opportunity to make an 'enlightening experience' joke when she heard the horn blaring. She couldn't quite see, but she could hear the truck headed right for her. The driver had been momentarily blinded by the light himself, hitting the horn to warn anyone ahead of him. Unfortunately, the crosswalk was only a short distance ahead and Luan had no time to jump out of the way. In a moment of panic, she tried to put herself as close to the ground as possible, hoping she could get under it. When she did, however, she flattened herself as flat as a pancake, the tractor trailer driving right past her without touching her. As soon as the truck was past, Luan popped right back to normal, sitting on the pavement with a perplexed look on her face. She had no idea what had just happened, but she had enough sense to get off the road before she tried to figure it out.

* * *

"...I do have one working theory presently…" The Lisa bot continued. "Whatever that phenomena was, it seems to have affected our very molecular structure, as made most evident by Tiger Lily, whose molecules were made more unstable than our own." She indicated the youngest of them all, who was sitting on the table in front of their mother, not really paying attention.

"Is that dangerous?" Fashion Plate asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

"As near as we can tell, no." LISA answered firmly. "I cannot say for certain why only select individuals, both good and evil, gained these unusual powers, while others did not."

"Maybe it has something to do with our DNA or something." Chain Linc suggested. Being the main comic book buff among them, he had a little knowledge and experience about how super powers usually came to be.

"I thought so too, elder brother, until I did some tests on DNA samples from Quarterback and Sour Puss." The main screen changed to show three windows, each with a DNA helix, a lot of data, and a picture of who they belonged to: Hank, Lindsey and Lucy. "As you can possibly see, there is no correlation between the three."

"Well, it couldn't have been picked at random...could it?" Lady Glori inquired.

"It's possible, but I doubt it. For now, all we have are guesses and theories. But in time-" Before the little cybernetic brain could continue, a classical ringtone went off and the screen changed to show an alert that someone was attempting to contact them on the non-emergency line. A little annoyed, she turned to the computer. "Computer, identify the caller." A small picture of Lord Tetherby appeared over the alert. "Tetherby? Whatever could he want?"

"One way to find out. Computer, put him through." Iron Chef instructed, rising from his seat as the main computer started the video call.

"...did I get this cursed thing to work…?" The older business man asked himself, frowning at the device before him.

"You did indeed, Lord Tetherby. You've reached the Royal Woods Heroes League." LISA informed him, all thirteen pairs of eyes on the giant round head on the screen.

"Ah. Jolly good. Well then, you already know me, but allow me to introduce myself. Formalities and all that." The bloated billionaire said. "I am Lord Tetherby, and allow me to start off by giving a hearty thank you to you and your family for your selfless work in our humble town."

"You're...quite welcome, Mr Tetherby…" Glacial Gal replied, while her children (apart from Lisa) frowned at the sight of the overly round man, no one more so than Chain Linc.

"Quite. Quite. As I am sure you've noticed yourself, you've grown rather popular, not just here in Royal Woods, but all over this grand country."

"Tell me about it. Everywhere we go, someone wants an autograph." Grappler commented with a slightly egotistical smile on her face. 'Though I had that problem before too. Heh.'

"We have noticed, Mr Tetherby, but may I ask what this has to do with your calling us?" Iron Chef asked, a little annoyed at the beating around the bush.

"Ah. Right to the point. I like that. Well then, allow me to get right to business. I would like the Royal Woods Heroes League to become a part of my company." He explained. Absolute silence followed his words for a few seconds before Fashion Plate spoke.

"Uh...you want to...buy us?" Lord Tetherby chuckled a bit, shaking his head.

"No, no, young miss. Not necessarily. More like a merger, integrating your organization with my own. Your brand with my resources."

"Brand? We aren't a brand, Lord Tetherby…" The disapproving little android said.

"Not yet, you aren't." Tetherby corrected her with a grin. "Think about it, my super powered friends…"

"Making a lot of assumptions there, buster…" Lincoln grumbled under his breath.

"...with your growing fame, it's only a matter of time before companies will want to capitalize on your name and fame."

"So naturally, you want to beat them to the punch, right?" Deci-Belle asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Precisely. I'm sure bright young folks like yourself can clearly see the benefits of being part of an empire as large as my own, as I can see the benefit of your brand with my illustrious company."

"Someone needs to leggo his ego." April Fool whispered to Miss Fix It, the both of them giggling behind their hands.

"Now now, you two…" Glacial Gal half scolded them before looking back to the plump entrepreneur before them. "Mr Tetherby, you've mentioned what the league could offer you, but what about what you could offer the league?"

"Why, money, of course." He answered. "I'm sure the government gives you a little stipend to keep your group going; that's all well and good. However, imagine what you can do with millions at your disposal."

"So you want our names, faces and reputations, in return for money?" Lady Glori said, looking none too pleased.

"Why not? Actors do the same for movie studios, and models to artists." Lord Tetherby stepped back from the camera to turn it toward a cloth covering...something. "Here. Have a look at this. Maybe this will give you an idea of where this could go." He pulled the cloth away revealing an assortment of RWHL action figures. The younger members of the team gasped in delight, while Leni and Luan smiled broadly, and even Lynn Sr and Rita looked rather impressed with the detail of them. "These are only prototypes, you understand, but it should paint enough of a picture." The camera zoomed in onto the toys as he picked up the Iron Chef figure. "We've got them all. Iron Chef with fire and ingredient shots..." He loaded a plastic fireball into a hole in the hand of the figure, then pressed a button on the arm to make it fire a couple inches.

"Well, that is nice, but…" Iron Chef started to say.

"...Grappler with enough articulation to do all her famous wrestling move…" He grabbed the muscle bound Loud's toy next, demonstrating how her arms and legs moved. "...super stretch and squash April Fool…" He started to stretch AF's toy like it were a Stretch Armstrong, before letting it ease back to normal. "...Tattle Tail…"

"...With brushable hair!?" Lola asked with a starry eyed look. Lord Tetherby grinned as he picked up a tiny brush and ran it along the false hair of her action figure. "EEEEEEEEEEE!" Chain Linc kept his frown as he watched. He had to admit the idea of having an action figure of him would be cool, but with Tetherby behind it? He wasn't too sure about that.

"What about Tiger Lily? How would you work with her powers?" Lady Glori asked, the fur bearing infant looking up at the screen with big eyes.

"We couldn't really as an action figure...buuuut…" He reached under the table and pulled out a plush Tiger Lily doll. Lily's eyes widened with excitement and wonder when she saw that.

"Awwwwwww." Leni, Lola, Lana, Luan and Luna all went at the sight.

"And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Think about it: comic books, movies, tv, live appearances...the possibilities are endless." The super powered parents looked at each other for a moment. Lord Tetherby certainly made it sound very attractive, but there had to be some kind of catch. The question was what it was.

"I don't suppose you've taken the liberty of having a contract drawn up?" Glacial Gal asked, hoping he had.

"But of course. I will fax a copy to you immediately, so you can look it over." The rolly polly businessman signaled to someone off screen and, within seconds, a series of papers emerged from the super computer.

"Would you be so kind as to excuse us a moment while we read the contract and discuss the matter?"

"Certainly. Take all the time you need." LISA tapped a few buttons on the console to put Tetherby on hold so she could bring the contract over and examine it closely with her family. All was silent for a moment as they all huddled together to try and read it.

"...I don't get it…" Fashion Plate said sadly.

"I can't make heads or tails of this legal mumbo jumbo either…" Deci-Belle admitted in annoyance.

"I swear they make contacts confusing on purpose…" Tattle Tail grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Allow me to translate." LISA said as she sped red through the documents. "Basically, it is a formal request from Lord Tetherby's company to have our league join them and become one of their many assets."

"Surely he doesn't expect us to do that for nothing, unless he wants to make an-" April Fool started to say.

"I know where you're going with that, and I don't like it..." Glacial Gal warned her with an accompanying firm look. The super powered joker gulped and grinned nervously.

"From what I can tell, he is offering a fairly generous sum for our initial merger...well into the millions." The titanium toddler continued, not looking up from the papers. "...as well as a salary for the ones among our number who are of the age to legally work."

"Millions!? Dude, what we gonna do with all that cash?" Luna asked, her excitement building.

"Don't get too eager…" Lisa said as her eyes narrowed. "...I think I just found the first catch. According to this contract, any and all events planned by Tetherby that require our presence are to take precedence over all other things. I am assuming this includes matters of family, education, or crime fighting."

"What!?" Luna, Lana, Iron Chef and Fashion Plate all exclaimed.

"Are you sure, Lisa?" The Loud mother asked.

"Positive." She replied, having re-read the section a few times just to be sure. "I also see no mention of royalties paid for the use of our name and images in his planned merchandising of the league."

"Hmph. And this is why I freelance." Luan commented with a huff.

"...it gets worse."

"How could it get worse?" Lady Glori asked, though she didn't really want to know the answer.

"Demanding our secret identities?" Chain Linc suggested pessimistically.

"Oh, come on, Chain Linc...don't you think-?"

"He's right, actually." LISA intervened before the oldest of the sisters could scold him. Stunned silence filled the room.

"...please tell me you're joking...slowly." Iron Chef said in absolute disbelief.

"I'm afraid it's no joke, Iron Chef. Lord Tetherby put a clause here which requires us to reveal our true identities to him and his company..."

"Dude...this gig ain't looking too sweet anymore…"

"Now wait just a moment, everyone." Glacial Gal said as she gathered up the papers. "Perhaps we can discuss the issues with Mr Tetherby. Come up with a compromise, so this could work for everyone." Her husband and children considered this for a moment before they all nodded to her. Lincoln, however, had his doubts if Tetherby would be willing to compromise. A part of him even hoped that he wouldn't. He knew him a bit longer than the rest of his family; knew how much of a fair weather friend he was, and how he treated his help, and he'd be damned if he was going to let him treat his family like tools rather than people. Lisa brought the video call back online, interrupting the portly CEO as he was counting his money.

"Oh, good. You've returned. I trust this means you have good news?"

"Actually, Lord Tetherby, there are a few concerns we have with this contract that we wish to discuss with you, if we may." LISA said, adjusting her glasses (although she had no need for them). Tetherby's good mood waned a little when he heard that.

"Concerns? What concerns?"

"Let's start with the required attendance to all events planned by you and your company."

"Lord Tetherby, we're superheroes here." Iron Chef explained, stepping up to the monitor. "We couldn't just turn a blind eye and ear to a crime in progress or citizens in need just to go to a mall opening or what not."

"Not only that, but most of us still have school to go to." Lady Glori added, gesturing to her super siblings. "And social lives."

"Well, sometimes, sacrifices have to be made. All a part of celebrity life." Tetherby replied with a shrug.

"Shenanigans." Deci-Belle snapped, slapping a hand on the table in front of her. "Even before we became heroes, some of us could be considered celebrities, and we didn't have to sacrifice school, friends, and especially not family." Tattle Tail and April Fool nodded curtly in agreement.

"Ahem...yes, well-"

"And what about the lack of royalties?" April Fool interjected before Tetherby could attempt any further argument on the matter. The very round man swore inwardly, as he hoped they wouldn't have spotted that. However, he had what he thought was a clever cover up defense.

"Well, royalties can be a rather tricky subject, so I thought that should be a separate discussion, with a contract all its own."

"Pardon my french, but c'est absurde." Lisa responded in a deadpan manner, April Fool laughing in the background. "I've made a rather extensive study of law, among other things, and a clause promising a portion of profits made by the sale of items bearing our likenesses and ticket sales for events in which, as per your contract, we are required to participate in would be no harder than any other clause."

"...but you would be given a very generous salary."

"Against how many hours worked?" Fashion Plate asked, surprising all of her sisters. "I heard my friends talking about salary versus hourly at my job before." She explained to them. Tetherby seemed pretty nervous now.

"...it's a VERY generous salary." He repeated, avoiding the question.

"It doesn't really matter how generous it is if you take up almost all of our time." Chain Linc finally said, trying to keep himself calm. "Especially considering you would only be paying Iron Chef, Glacial Gal, Lady Glori and Fashion Plate, but DEMANDING we all work."

"A point well made, Chain Linc." LISA agreed.

"Ok ok ok...that SOUNDS bad, I admit…" Lord Tetherby said, starting to get pretty irate by this point.

"And then we get to the deal breaker in my opinion." Glacial Gal interjected. "Our secret identities."

"I have a good reason for that!" He snapped at them. "If you're going to be employees of my company, I need to have you on the books for tax purposes, and the IRS doesn't accept super aliases."

"Yet." The robotic super genius replied.

"Pardon…?"

"We understand that, Lord Tetherby, but do you realize just how dangerous it would be to give you and your company our secret identities?" The iron plated father attempted to calmly explain. "Not just to us, but to you?"

"He's right. What if the likes of the Den of Vipers, or Quiz Master come after you to get our identities?" Lori inquired. "You and your employees could get seriously hurt, or worse…"

'If he doesn't sell them our secret identities once he's done with us.' Lincoln thought derisively to himself.

"Oh, I'm not worried. I know you hero types would be able to quash any threat made to me."

"Even if we're at one of those mandatory appearances?" Chain Linc asked with a bit of a smartass tone. "You know? The ones that would be well advertised and known far and wide when and where it will be?" Lord Tetherby's face went a little pale when he considered that prospect, making the white haired hero feel a bit of satisfaction knowing he got the pudgy entrepreneur good with that one.

"Ahem...yes, well...that...would be a problem…"

"We aren't saying no, necessarily, Mr Tetherby." Glacial Gal informed him, surprising and perking him right back up again. "...but a few changes would need to be made here."

"For starters, our secret identities remain just that: a secret." Iron Chef said. "And in return, we will forgo salaries, so you won't need to keep us on the books and don't need our identities."

"We will, however, request a modest percentage for royalties." LISA added. "I believe five percent of net sales of league based merchandise isn't asking too much. A drop in the bucket compared to what your company does make on a quarterly basis."

"And finally, we would be happy to coordinate with you and your company regarding events, so we can work around our schedules." Rita continued. "But our heroic duties will have to take priority." Lord Tetherby looked like he swallowed a lemon as he pondered this counter offer. He could overlook some public appearances; most of them would probably be free anyway. He didn't even mind their idea regarding their identities. However, he did NOT want to share the profits he thought he could gain.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that doesn't work for me." He responded.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Lord Tetherby." Iron Chef said, and he sounded it. "But if that's the case, I think we're done here. Good day to you." The moment the video call ended, April Fool rose from her seat.

"Would you excuse me a moment, please?" The toonish heroine said as she turned and left the room to the adjacent hallway. After a quick look back to make sure her parents didn't follow, she grinned and said quietly "...unless he wants to make an 'asset' of himself. Hahahaha….ah, that one was too good to just throw away."

* * *

Lord Tetherby cut communications with the league, staring into his blank computer screen for several seconds while his lawyer shook and cringed behind him. He expected that his employer was furious now and thought he would take it out on him. However, when the round man turned around, he looked like he was in deep thought. "Weasely…"

"Wesley…"

"Whatever...what do you think about what transpired?"

"Well, sir...their counter offer sounded very reasonable…"

"...you would think that…" He grumbled coldly. "The trouble with you, Weasely, is you give up too easily."

"Sir…?"

"Think about it, my boy. They're most concerned about their secret identities; particularly, my safety if they were to give them to me."

"Well, they are heroes, sir, and the safety of the public is their chief concern…"

"Quite right. But if they didn't need to worry about me-

"-and your employ-"

"Don't interrupt, Weasely. It's rude." Tetherby chided him as he walked toward the door of his office. "As I was saying, if they didn't have to worry about me...if I could protect myself and my underlings...then they shouldn't have any worries about signing on the dotted line, and I won't have to pay royalties."

"Sir...if I may...you don't have super powers…"

"True, but I can get some."

"Sir…?"

"Don't play dumb, Weasely. Super powers can be made. We have the technology and I have the money. Just need to get the boys in R&D to whip something together for me." He paused at the door, looking back to the action figure prototypes. "...hmmm...maybe I could get my own action figure from this?" He chuckled a bit as he continued on his way, leaving his neurotic lawyer behind.

* * *

Two weeks later, at Gus' Game and Grub, Lincoln Loud was hanging out with two of his best friends; Clyde McBride and Ronnie Anne Santiago. The trio were having some soda in a booth after an intense game of Extreme Super Brawler Turbo 4 between Lincoln and Ronnie Anne. RA had won by a slight margin, and had no problem telling the middle Loud as much. "So, how does it feel to lose yet again, Lame-o?" She asked with a grin. Lincoln just smirked back. He had known Ronnie Anne long enough to know not to take her teasing personally, and had taken her teasing for long enough it had little effect on him.

"Well, I almost got you." Lincoln responded.

"Almost only counts with government work and horseshoes." She responded before taking a deep drink of pop.

"Speaking of government work, did you guys hear the latest news?" Clyde spoke up, hoping to avoid an argument between the two. "They're building a new super prison between Royal Woods and Great Lakes City."

"No fooling?" Their latina friend inquired, putting her glass down. Lincoln pretended to look surprised by this. He and his family already knew about this, of course. After all, LISA helped design some of the containment devices.

"Yeah. With the number of super criminals starting to make themselves known, no way a normal prison could hold them. I mean, that Linebacker guy could just ram his way through the wall." The african american boy in the glasses explained. "Should hopefully make the hero league's job a little easier."

"What do you guys think of this Royal Woods Heroes League?" Ronnie Anne inquired curiously.

"Real life superheroes in our own home town. Doesn't get much cooler than that." The white haired boy responded, getting a soft laugh from Ronnie Anne.

"You would say that, super nerd."

"Hey...this is like a dream come true for us." Clyde said with a slight frown.

"Yeah, I know. And I'm not knocking them. They've done good, and there are a few cool heroes in the group. I'm just not as impressed by superheroes as you guys are." Lincoln felt a slight twinge when he heard her say that. He wasn't sure why. The two of them have only ever been friends, despite what his sisters claimed to the contrary. And it wasn't like she said they were horrible. So why did he feel so disappointed when he heard that? "So, which ones are your favorite?"

"I'd have to say either Grappler or Deci-Belle." Clyde responded. Mentally, Lincoln was surprised he didn't say Lady Glori. He figured anything to do with Lori would be top on the list for his friend, even if he didn't know it was her. Then again, it's certainly for the best he doesn't recognize her.

"What about you, Lame-o?"

"Me? Uh...let me think." He answered, slightly caught off guard. He almost answered Chain Linc, but he didn't want to possibly hint toward his hero identity. Besides, it would seem conceited. "Probably either Tiger Lily or Fashion Plate."

"Fashion Plate? Really?" RA asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I have an appreciation for heroes and heroines who fight crime without powers. Takes an extra level of courage, you know?" The dark haired girl had to nod as she understood his point.

"...when you put it that way, yeah. I could see that." She responded. "I guess I'd have to side with Clyde about Grappler. She's tough and I respect tough. Same goes with Iron Chef."

"Heh. Why am I not surprised?" Lincoln said, earning him a nudge in the ribs from Ronnie Anne, both of them laughing and smirking at one another. Clyde couldn't help but chuckle at the two. They always said the two of them were friends, and that was it, and the bespectacled boy believed that...at the moment. However, he also suspected there was something else, even if his friends didn't realize or wouldn't admit it. He would keep these thoughts to himself though, since he knew Lincoln got enough flak from his sisters about it. They were all considering what game to play next when they heard the screeching of tires outside.

"Guys! Outside! It's Lady Glori!" came a shout from the front window. Everyone in the arcade but the three friends immediately ran to go see what was going on, though they soon followed.

Right outside, Lady Glori had just forced an eighteen wheeler to come to a stop right in front of Gus', using her great strength and power of flight. The driver was trying to power on through, but she was having none of that. Neither was Glacial Gal, who had just frozen its tires solid. "That should stop them cold." The arctic speedster said as two men emerged from the cabin and two from the back, all male, each armed with assault rifles. The children behind the window gasped at the sight. Lincoln felt a sense of panic coming on, but he couldn't do much from there without revealing his secret identity. However, he also knew his sister and mother had this. Best thing he could do right now is keep his fellow arcade patrons calm and safe if it came to that.

"Back off, 'heroes'..." The driver warned, pointing his gun at Lady Glori.

"Let's not do anything you'll regret there, buddy. Just throw your weapons down and come quietly, so things don't have to ugly." Lady Glori instructed, having no fear of their weapons.

"There's no need to fear!" A voice from above shouted, catching everyone off guard. Just then, Lord Tetherby came careening down toward them, coming to a stop before hitting the ground between the four criminals. He was wearing a dark, royal blue robotic suit, making him look more like a bowling ball than before. The trim around his wrists, knees, ankle, and neck were solid gold. He had a jet pack on his back, and rocket thrusters on his feet. On his chest was the emblem of his company. "Lord Tetherby is here!"

"Lord Tetherby?" Glacial Gal asked in surprise, her daughter and the four gunmen all looking as lost as she was.

"It's raining freaks…" One of the two facing the super mother commented.

"Take it easy, ladies. I'll handle this!" The portly man in the super suit declared boldly.

"What is he doing?" Clyde inquired in utter bemusement.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I would say he's about to make a fool of himself…" Lincoln muttered.

"Like hell you are!" The driver snapped, all four sets of guns turning on Lord Tetherby. The smug businessman simply turned on an almost invisible forcefield just as they started firing.

"Get down!" Lincoln yelled, grabbing Clyde by the arm and putting his arm around Ronnie Anne as he hit the dirt. The other kids followed suit just before the bullets started ricocheting off the shield and going all over the place.

"Whoa! Watch it, Tetherby!" Lady Glori shouted as she leaped between the armored man and the window to protect the civilians inside, letting several bullets bounce off of her instead. "Innocent people could have gotten hit in the crossfire!" A sweat drop dribbled down the older man's head.

"Oops...terribly sorry...I guess a little more research is needed…" He mumbled, just as the bullets stopped flying. The kids in the gaming restaurant were shaking, terrified from the gunfire. Clyde was breathing into his paper bag, while a shaken Ronnie Anne had an arm around Lincoln. The one son was calmer than the others, more used to gunfire, but still had a fright when he saw that a stray shot could have hit Ronnie Anne. Glancing, yes, but still.

"You two alright?" He asked.

"I...I think so…" Clyde gasped as he finally calmed down enough to stop hyperventilating.

"...like new." RA replied. He and Ronnie Anne slowly looked at each other for a moment, realized they each had an arm around the other and quickly pulled their hands back, blushing furiously and looking away. "...uh….thanks, Lincoln…" She muttered quietly.

"...anytime…" He replied in a whisper.

"Don't worry. I still have this...face the wrath of my tetherball special!" Tetherby declared, his right hand turning into a plasma infused ball, just as Lady Glori relieved two of the criminals of their weapons.

"Wait!" Glacial Gal cried, but to no avail. He launched the ball on a chain toward the crooks in front of him. The two gunmen dodged out of the way, and the Loud mother was forced to clear the path to avoid getting hit. The energy laced ball smashed into the road, but Tetherby felt he could recover it. He swung the tetherball toward the nearest villain. However, since his chain was so long, the swing goes wide and smashed into the building beside Gus'. The impact damaged the wall facing the arcade and it started to fall. Lori gasped and flew up to catch it before it fell on the building full of children. Lord Tetherby winced as he saw that, quickly recalling the weapon.

"Oops..."

"Come on, guys! Let's go!" The driver shouted as he bolted up the road.

"What about the weapons!?"

"It's a lost cause, now move, unless you want to want to see a prison cell!"

"Oh no…!" Glacial Gal started to say.

"...you don't!" The armor suited entrepreneur shouted, his arm turning into a gatling cannon.

"Tetherby, stop!" Rita screamed out, but once more, he ignored her, firing plasma charged tennis balls at the fleeing felons. Unfortunately for him, not a single shot he fired hit his intended target. It did put holes in buildings, broke windows, but worse of all, hit a parked car, causing it to catch fire. The crooks who tried to escape froze in place when they saw the burning car, just before it exploded. The driver closed his eyes just as the car burst, and when he opened them again, he saw a sharp piece of metal just inches from his eye. It was frozen in a wall of ice, along with the rest of the shrapnel from the car. Glacial Gal had sped up to them just before the vehicle detonated and not only provided a barrier to protect them, but sealed their feet in ice to keep them from escaping.

"Whew...quick thinking, G.G." Lady Glori called out, still holding up the wall.

"Thank you, Lady Glori...Be a dear and call Miss Fix It for that wall." She replied before giving Lord Tetherby the mother of all death glares, zipping right up in his face, breathing heavily as she forced herself to be calm.

"Ahem...yes, ma'am. Simply smashing job…" He said with a nervous smile.

"...Lord Tetherby...not that we don't appreciate the thought of your help…" She started calmly, before she screamed "...BUT WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"

"...I was simply-"

"You could have killed someone with your reckless actions! There are children in that arcade that were nearly hit by the shots bouncing off your shields, or crushed under that wall you nearly knocked over!" CHILDREN!" She yelled. 'One of which being my own…' She thought to herself, able to sense that Lincoln was just inside.

"...but I was able to help apprehend the-"

"Apprehend!? You nearly killed them too!" Glacial Gal held the bridge of her nose, her patience and temper wearing thin. "What exactly were you even attempting to accomplish, Lord Tetherby?"

"I just wanted to prove to your husband that his worries about my company possessing...you know what...were unfounded. I can protect myself and therefore your secrets."

"...so you can protect yourself...with clearly untested technology?" She asked, her fists on her hips. "Lord Tetherby, what you've done here is horribly reckless and positively foolish. Neither of which is going to convince us to change our minds. Now...what I recommend you do...is go back home, or to your office or wherever...and dismantle that deathtrap you built...before we are forced to bring YOU in on reckless endangerment and vigilantism charges."

"Vigilantism!? You're one to talk!" Tetherby shouted, his face going red. "You and your family...you're all vigilantes!"

"Wrong." She replied flatly and firmly. "My family and I work alongside the police and federal agencies to fight crime. Alongside and within the law. Now, are you going to leave on your own, or in a police cruiser?" She inquired just as the police were starting to arrive.

"...this conversation isn't over, Glacial Gal…" Lord Tetherby warned before he flew off into the air, Rita glaring at him as he fled the scene.

* * *

"...he should be back any minute…" A female scientist with short red hair said as she leaned against an analytical supercomputer, checking her watch. Her male colleague glanced toward her amidst his pacing in front of a massive computer screen featuring the blueprints to Lord Tetherby's suit. The two of them were in a laboratory situated underneath one of Lord Tetherby's corporate headquarters a fair distance outside of Royal Woods. This lab was no secret: pretty much everyone knew it existed. However, it had never been used for this purpose before. It was mostly to make improved versions of the company's products.

"You think his plan went well?" The light brown haired man inquired, fiddling with his glasses.

"Nope." She replied nonchalantly. As if on cue, a proximity alert went off all over the lab. The male scientist calmly pressed a button on the console beside him, which opened a bay door leading outside. Lord Tetherby had flown into the lab, looking positively livid and grumbling. "Called it…" She muttered under her breath. "Welcome back, Mr Tetherby." She said in a normal volume as the back of his suit slowly opened, allowing the tubby CEO to emerge from the suit.

"I assume the trial run of the suit did not go well, sir?"

"The suit worked fine!" Tetherby snapped. "...minus a few hiccups, everything about the suit functioned as it should. However, those damned heroes made me look like a fool and treated me like a criminal!" He ranted onward.

"We're sorry, Lord Tetherby, but we did warn you that they may take a dim view of-"

"I went out there to prove a point, and I feel I proved it well. I mean, ok, a few bullets went off course, and a building nearly came down...but if I have the power to do that, I surely have the power to protect myself and my company." Lord Tetherby continued to rant.

"...a building nearly came down!?" The male scientist exclaimed in shock.

"Focus, Fortesque...we have a plan B to plan."

"Lord Tetherby, if I may...couldn't you just ask for the exclusive merchandising rights?" Fortesque's colleague inquired.

"Marie, you are a fine scientist, but clearly not a business woman." He said, shaking his head. "Merchandising rights is limited to merchandise only. Nothing else. Meaning someone else could come along and swipe movie rights from under our noses, or they could give comic rights to another company. No. We need full control over the league in order to get the most out of them. Now, I need the two of you to get to work, making a few modifications to the suit…" The two scientists rolled their eyes, but took out their pdas to take notes on what he wanted this time. "First, some form of targeting system. Second, some method of stunning a target, both at close range and at a distance. Third, air conditioning…"

"Air conditioning?"

"What? That suit is stuffy...I sweat like a pig in that thing." Tetherby complained. "Now get to it." He stormed out of the lab, riding the elevator right up to his office. When he arrived, he glared at all the action figure prototypes on his desk. "If you can't buy them, join them…" He said to himself as he walked to his desk. "...if you can't join them...hostile takeover is the only option. And it shouldn't be that hard...after all…" He knocked most of the toys aside, until only Chain Linc, Fashion Plate, Miss Fix It and Tattle Tail were left. "...a company is only as strong as its weakest performers…"


	4. Chapter 4: Not for Sale pt 2

_AN: I know I've been doing updating this story more than the others at the moment, but I haven't stopped them. Their progress is just going slower at the moment. They will be updated soon enough. With that, allow me to answer a few questions and suggestions that have sprouted up since the last chapter._

_Owldusk: Unofficially, perhaps, as Lincoln does have the most history with Lord Tetherby. Officially, he'll be the arch nemesis of the entire league. Don't worry. I do have nemesi's planned for LISA, Mystic Mortician, Chain Linc, and one has already been introduced for Tattle Tail. I don't think I'll be able to do one for everyone though. Just a few too many characters for that, but I will try._

_Imagaco: Only the physical: strength, invulerability, and flight, all scaled to how close (physically and emotionally) she is to her family. As for the weaknesses: LISA: Natch. Lola: Not even close, I'm afraid, otherwise her own power would hurt her. Luan: If dip did exist in this world, she would be in serious trouble. However, there could be something..._

_Nick Name: Thanks for the suggestions for serpent names. May be a bit before they come back or they get really involved with super soldiers, but still very much appreciated. Also, the Island may not work, unless the prison is out on the Great Lakes. Thanks anyway._

_Guest: No. Powers could still be gained through technology, as Tetherby and Quiz Master have proven, or through other scientific or magical means. The Incident did cause a lot of folks to get powers, but not all of them will be directly, but that's getting ahead of myself._

_As the Louds wouldn't give their secret identities to other leagues, whether or not anyone in Hazeltuckey is friendly with them wouldn't really matter. And as we haven't really seen anyone other than the Hockers (including Hank and Hawk), we don't really know, so I would have to make some up, just like Omega City. And the Guardians of Great Lakes City will be canon characters as well as OCs, just not the Casagrandes...well, maybe not all of them, anyway._

* * *

Not for Sale pt 2

A few days later, in the dead of evening, Chain Linc was out patrolling the town, swinging along in the sky with a small smile on his face. He didn't usually do evening patrols, but he promised to swap with Lady Glori so she could go on a date with her boyfriend. He didn't mind at all, though. He liked doing patrols. Much better than monitor duty, in his opinion. However, his parents didn't like any of their younger children out on patrol alone (and he qualified in their eyes), so he wasn't out alone. Deci Belle wasn't far away, surfing the skies on her guitar construct. She loved soaring the skies; it really helped inspire her, and she loved the feeling of freedom flight gave her. She flies closer to her swinging brother, smiling. "Don't mean a thing, if you ain't got that swing." She said with a chuckle.

"Heh. Hey, Deci-Belle. Any sign of trouble?" Chain Linc inquired.

"Not a thing. Looks like we're in for a peaceful night. Not that I'm complaining."

"Me neither. We could use more nights like this." The steel armored young hero commented as he started to have some fun with his swinging; performing flips, swinging quickly around tall buildings, and throwing himself high into the air, laughing the whole time.

"Hehehe. Fun's fun, bro, but you better take care. If you hit the ground, Mom and Dad will hit the roof."

"Hahahaha. Ok, ok." He said as he came to a stop right in front of his third oldest sister. The two shared a small laugh, which came to an abrupt end when they heard a series of loud barks. The noise originated from the nearby junkyard. "Wonder what got him so worked up?"

"Could be anything. Nothing's meaner than a junkyard dog, dude." The chorus barks was cut short by a sudden, shrill yipe. "...then again…"

"I'm gonna go check it out." Lincoln said as he swung toward the trash yard.

"Right behind ya, Chain Linc." The musical heroine said, following him on her flying instrument. From his bird's eye view over the junkyard, the chain wielding hero could see a doberman laying on its side, shaking, not fair from the giant magnet crane used to lift wrecked cars. He landed on the ground not far from the poor canine, which was still trembling and whining as if in pain.

"Easy boy…" He said cautiously as he slowly approached the possibly injured animal. "I'm just coming in for a look...I'm not going to hurt you…" The once vicious dobie whimpered as he knelt by it. There were no obvious signs of injury from what he could see, though he was far from an expert. Before he could really consider what to do, he felt a powerful force pulling at him. "What th-!?" He was suddenly pulled upward until his slammed his back against the face of the giant magnet, held there by his armor and weapons. "Ah!"

"Linc!" Deci-Belle exclaimed, flying in closer. However, when she did, the guitar strapped to her back was pulled off her and clung to magnet. "Hey!" Just then, something struck her construct with a ZAAAP! The guitar shattered, sending Luna plummeting to the ground. Luckily, she was able to land on her feet, though it was far from the comfortable landing. "Who did that?"

"That would be me, Miss Deci-Belle." Came the voice of Lord Tetherby as he stepped out of the shadows of a mountain of tires.

"You!?"

"Me. Now, there are two ways we can do this...you can come with me easy, or we can do this the hard way."

"...I'll do this the same way I rock…" She growled, pulling out her iPod and starting up some heavy metal music. A spiked mace comprised of sonic energy sprang from the top of it. "HARD!" She yelled as she ran toward Tetherby. The overly round man simply smirked as he turned on his suits energy shield. She swung her mace with all the might of an angry viking. When the sonic bludgeon hit the shield, the barrier sparked wildly, causing a powerful force feedback that knocked both Deci-Belle and Lord Tetherby back. The overweight money enthusiast fell into a pile of scrap metal, while Luna slammed against a ruined boss, dropping her weapon and losing consciousness.

"Ugh...suit, note to self…" He groaned, rubbing his almost bald head. "My shields do NOT react well to Deci-Belle's weaponry…"

"Noted, Lord Tetherby." A computerized voice sounded as a few members of his security personnel emerged from the garbage all over the place, picking up the unconscious Deci-Belle, as well as her iPod.

"Take her to the stadium. We'll keep him here to lure the others." Lord Tetherby instructed his men.

"You aren't going to get away with this, Lord Tetherby!" Chain Linc shouted, struggling to try and escape his magnetic prison.

"...do me a favor and gag that pest…"

* * *

Nearly half an hour later, Rita was pacing about inside their headquarters below their home on Franklin Avenue, beside herself with worry. Luna and Lincoln should have reported back a while ago, but so far, nothing. "Honey, I'm sure they're fine." Lynn Sr said, watching his wife with a concerned expression.

"Lynn, they should have called in by now…"

"They probably just lost track of time. I mean, they should be fine as long as they're together, right?" The ice empowered woman paused in her pacing, looking right at her husband. While it didn't ease her concerns, his words did make a certain degree of sense. Still, she needed to be certain herself. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her mind on where her children were. In her mind's eye, she could see the town. She could sense four of her children in town. One was at a nice thai restaurant, that must be Lori...yes, it was Lori. The next was coming up the street...Luan walking Charles. One in the junkyard...that was Lincoln for sure, but where was Luna? She mentally scanned the city until she sensed Luna's essence, over at the baseball stadium. What is she doing over there!? Why wasn't she with her brother!?

"Lynn, they aren't together!" She exclaimed, borderline in a panic. She pulled out her phone and quickly tried to get in contact with Luna or Lincoln. When she couldn't get in touch with either, her fear only grew. "...and they aren't responding!" The Loud father looked shocked by this. He ignited into flames, suiting up in his costume and armor.

"Alright. Where is Lincoln and where is Luna?"

"...Lincoln is at the junkyard, and Luna is at the stadium."

"Right. I'll take Miss Fix It and Grappler, and check out the junkyard."

"I'll call Lady Glori, get April Fool, and go find Deci-Belle." Rita replied before she changed into Glacial Gal. "But first, I need to ask Leni to watch her little sisters…" The worried mother sped off in a blur, while Iron Chef flew off to find Lana and Lynn.

* * *

Some distance away, Lori and Bobby had just finished their dinner and paid the check, and were just chatting away at the table, laughing and discussing future plans while finishing their tea. They were just going over their plans for college when Lori's phone went off. She frowned as she looked at it. "Oh for the love of...would you excuse me a moment, Boo Boo Bear?" She said, standing up from her seat.

"Sure thing, babe." Bobby replied with a smile as the oldest of the sisters went to the lady's room and, after making sure it was empty, pulled her phone from her purse.

"This better be good…" She said angrily as she answered it.

"Chain Linc and Deci-Belle are in trouble!" Rita exclaimed through the phone, causing Lori to wince from the volume.

"W...what? Mom, slow down and quiet down...what happened?"

"...Chain Linc and Deci-Belle went out on patrol, but never reported in. My parental radar says one is at the junkyard, but the other is at the stadium…" The authoritative blonde frowned lightly. On one hand, this seemed like a pretty flimsy reason to think this was possible trouble and was just her mother being over protective. On the other hand, Luna wouldn't have left one of her younger super siblings alone like that; not even Lincoln, the one who probably knows more about superheroes than any of them. And if neither are reporting in, something must be up.

"I'll be right there." She said seriously.

"Meet me and April Fool at the stadium. Your father is checking the junkyard."

"Right. Glori, out." She finished quickly, hanging up her phone. She sighed in frustration before she headed out to where Bobby was getting his coat on. "Boo Boo Bear, I have to go...family emergency." She explained simply.

"Oh no...what happened?" The love of her life inquired in concern.

"Linc is hurt." She said quickly and vaguely. "Sorry, but I have to go now…"

"Little Linc is hurt? Oh no…" Lori cringed a bit, realizing she should have said literally any of her other siblings. Now he's even more concerned, and will probably tell Ronnie Anne too. However, the damage was done and she didn't have time to do damage control. "...alright. I'll see you later, Babe. Love you." He said, giving her a quick hug and kiss, which she lovingly returned.

"Love you too, Bobby." She replied before she rushed out to VanZilla and started to drive away. She had to wait until she was out of sight of him and most civilians before she ducked down a barely used back road. She tapped a few buttons on a tiny keyboard under the dashboard before she changed into her super costume, departed the vehicle, and flew off as the van continued on its own toward home, with a holographic image of Lori pretending to drive taking her place.

* * *

Moments later, Iron Chef and Miss Fix It were flying right toward the scrapyard where Glacial Gal said she saw Lincoln, with Grappler dashing through the streets. With her strength and endurance, she was easily able to keep up even with her airborne family. She sprang over the barbed wire fence surrounding the yard and skidded to a stop as her father and younger sister came to hover just above her. "Keep your eyes open, kids…"

"Can do, super pop." Lana said with a nod.

"Sure thing, Chef, but I don't think we have anything to worry about. Chain Linc probably snuck here to meet secretly with a 'certain someone'." Grappler theorized with a chuckle. Miss Fix It frowned down at her burlier sister. She knew what she meant by 'certain someone' and she was as on board as the rest of her sisters, but she knew Lincoln wouldn't just abandon his duty. The three split up to search the yard, Iron Chef keeping high in the air so he can keep an eye on the others. It only took Lynn a few minutes before she arrived at the magnet crane, seeing Chain Linc clinging to the bottom of it with a gag over his mouth. She gave a loud whistle, causing her brother to try and yell to her, to warn her, but to no avail. Miss Fix It and Iron Chef fly over to see what they alert was about. The moment they got close, the little gadgeteer's disc was pulled out from under her, sticking to the magnet next to Luna's guitar. Thankfully, Grappler was there to catch her before she could hit the ground. The fire empowered father could feel the pull of the magnet ahead of him, so he flew back to avoid getting caught himself.

"Ok, who's the fool who left the magnet on?" Iron Chef asked with a frown. Something wasn't right here.

"Not an issue. I got this." Miss Fix It said as she undoes her tool belt and hands it to Grappler. "Hang onto this, or I may end up like Chain Linc." She runs over to the crane, ready to shut the machine off. She was so focused on setting her brother free, she didn't see the figure hidden inside the cabin. Grappler, however, could see something moving.

"Fix It! Look out!" She cried, but it was too late. A man in a security officer's suit grabbed the six year old heroine the moment she opened the door. "Oh no you don't!" The hulked out Lynn yelled as she bounded toward the machine. However, she only got four steps closer when she was struck in the back by a kind of electric shot. She grit her teeth and trembled as she came to a forced stop, then fell forward, stunned.

"Grappler!" Iron Chef exclaimed, but he couldn't get closer to help her with the magnet active. He went to call for more backup, but he ended up getting blindsided by Lord Tetherby, slammed by the rich man in the flying machine. He was momentarily thrown off by the charge, but managed to throw it off and then throw a punch at the portly villain. At this close, he couldn't use his shield, so he ended up getting decked across the face. The pain caused him to release the iron clad hero long enough for him to take the offensive, slamming his metal fists into his robotic chest, sending him hurtling toward the ground and into the tire pile. He pulled a few cinnamon sticks from his coat, but before he could absorb them into his hand, a shock bolt flew from the tire pile, hitting Iron Chef right in the chest. The blast of electrical energy was enough to stun the Loud father, ceasing his flying and sending him falling like a rock. Fortunately, his iron coating protected him from the impact.

"...I should have just done that in the first place…" Tetherby groaned as he freed himself from the pile of wheels. His men were starting to bring Iron Chef, Grappler and Miss Fix It away, as well as driving the crane away. "But we still have them...I better go make sure everything is ready for our prisoners at the stadium." He said before soaring through the air, far ahead of his employees.

* * *

Earlier, at the stadium, the outfield was taken up by what could only be described as field lab for a scientific sadist. A sprawling computer console was set up on the grass, nearly stretching as wide as the baseball diamond. Surrounding the console was a total of twelve tubes and circular examination tables with arm and wrist restraints with metal plates set in certain places, and a crib surrounded by a bubble of sorts separated from everything else. One of these tables was being occupied by Deci-Belle, still out cold, her arms pinned to her sides and her ankles locked together. Marie was checking the restraints hold the super teen in place, looking upon her with a pained look on her face. All around them and the equipment were a number of security guards, carrying large, high tech rifles. "Fortesque…" She said, turning to her colleague at the console. "...am I alone in thinking this is madness?"

"...no." He replied, not even looking at her. "You're not…"

"Then why are we doing this?" She asked seriously, walking toward him. "Why?"

"For two reasons, Marie…" He answered, holding up two fingers while still working. "One, we're under freaking contract…" He growled with contempt as he lowered one finger. "And two...those guys." He nudged his head toward the armed guards all around them, though most of them looked as uneasy as them about what was going on. "We're damned if we do, damned if we don't."

"Don't I know it…" She said with a sad sigh. "...though we'll be really damned when their family finds out…"

"Speak of the devil!" April Fool called out leaping into view as the blur that was her super mother zipped past her, easily punching out or disarming the guards and dropping off their weapons in front of her toony daughter before skidding to a stop in front of the scientists, angered to the point of nearly looking rabid.

"Release her. Now." Glacial Gal growled as the scientists held their hands up in surrender.

"Y...yes, ma'am."

"Hold it, Glacial Gal." The bald headed, bearded head of Tetherby's security force said, stepped toward her while readjusting his jaw.

"You stay back, or I'll knock some teeth out next…" She warned him, leering at him as he had a hand on a pistol at his side. Meanwhile, his conscious fellow guards were trying to regain their weapons, with April Fool smashing some of them with her mallet before she was forced to engage the guards. Knowing her hammer could possibly do serious damage to them, she swapped it for a pair of weighted rubber chickens. Most of the unarmed guards were easy to deal with, but she couldn't watch all of them. Three of them had circled around her while she was fighting the others, going for their weapons, while Glacial Gal was being distracted. "As I said, release Deci-Belle, right now."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" The chief of security warned Fortesque when he made a move for the controls. "The boss would be very displeased…"

"If you don't, you'll make a super powered mother angry...which scares you more?" The terrified male scientist looked between the two, uncertain which was worse in his position. Rita glanced toward April Fool during this stand off, noticing the guards trying to reclaim their advanced weaponry. Her eyes widened as she turned her attention to them, sending a wave of ice and slush their way to freeze their weapons to the ground. Unfortunately, this lapse in attention was all the security head needed. He quickly surged forward, drawing his pistol and striking her in the back of the head with the grip. The impact was enough to knock her unconscious, sending her to the ground.

"Nothing personal, ma'am...just doing my job…"

"So am I!" He heard just before he got bulldozed off his feet by a flying Lady Glori. She had him by the collar of his uniform, glaring daggers at him. "...This is for hurting my mother!" She yelled before hurling him right into the three guards trying to get their weapons out of the ice, knocking them all into a heap on the ground.

"Nice one, sis! You knocked them cold. Hahahaha!"

"Save it, Fool." The irate super teen retorted as she flew back to her unconscious mother and brought her over to where Deci-Belle was being held. Rather than bothering with the middle men, she decided to just break her sister out. She set Glacial Gal down and grabbed the steel wrist restraints. Before she could simply rip the bindings off, however, she was struck in the side with a shock bolt. She screamed in pain for a moment before she slumped to the ground, utterly stunned.

"Looks like even near invulnerability doesn't save you from my stun cannon." Lord Tetherby commented with a sinister smirk as he flew down onto the field, right by Lady Glori, Glacial Gal and Deci-Belle.

"Lord Tetherby!?" April Fool exclaimed as she bopped the last security guard threatening her with her rubber chickens.

"Precisely, April Fool...now be a good girl and give yourself up." The family jester glared at the tubby villain, twirling her chickens in preparation for battle. However, the businessman wasn't about to get into a fight with her. He changed his arm cannon into the gatling cannon, pointing it toward Glacial Gal's head. "Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do that, young lady…" Her defiant expression changed to one of outright horror. At this point, she had no choice. She dropped her rubber chickens, raising her hands.

"Alright...alright...I surrender…"

"Good girl...now get up here and get into that pod over there." He instructed, pointing to the glass tube that had just been raised. The ponytailed super prankster just glared at him as she made her way to the pod and stepped under the glass.

"...you're despicable…" She informed him sourly as she was sealed inside.

"Duly noted." Tetherby replied as he picked up Lady Glori and Glacial Gal himself (his hired muscle still recovering from the fight with the empowered clown). He tossed Lori into an open pod which, upon closing, filled with a strange greenish liquid. Next was the super mother, dumped in another pod. This one was outfitted with a powerful heater, which turned on the moment she was sealed in. "So far, everything is coming together splendidly." He commented as the rest of his force was arriving in trucks, bringing with them the rest of the heroes.

* * *

Meanwhile, watching this all unfold from within the main computer, LISA was horrified. She had hacked into the stadium's security cameras to get a better look at the situation, and what she saw was her parents and almost all of her siblings in the clutches of this mad tycoon. They needed her help, and fast. With but a thought, she initiated the emergency alarm, which alerted the remaining Louds in the base and up in the house that something was seriously wrong. Using passages hidden in strategic points around the house (ie in everyone's room), Lucy, Lola, and Leni ran to the main computer, with Lily being carried by the ditzy blonde. "Elder siblings and youngling, I fear I had tragic news. It appears our esteemed parental units, brother and sisters have fallen prey to a trap, and are now the prisoners of Lord Tetherby."

"What!?" Leni gasped in horror.

"You're kidding!" Lola exclaimed.

"Poo poo?" Lily inquired, looking quite worried.

"I assure you, I am not kidding…" LISA said, showing them the video footage. Leni and Lily looked about to cry, while Lola looked outright wrathful. Lucy didn't let it show on her face, but she was very upset as well.

"We need to get there. Now." Lucy said, stepped back from her sisters as her coffin surrounded her, allowing her to change into the Mystic Mortician.

"What she said!" Lola agreed, tossing glitter upon herself to change into Tattle Tail. Leni pulled a compact from her pocket and, after a quick look around (a habit her family pushed her to adopt to avoid their secret being exposed), pressed a secret button on the side. Strips of fabric shot from the little makeup mirror and wrapped around the ditzy teen like a cocoon. The fabric suddenly retracted, sending her spinning. When she stopped, she was Fashion Plate, striking a cheery pose. Lisa's face disappeared from the computer screen, the little Lisa android that lay beside it opening its eyes as it stood up.

"LISA mobile droid, convert to combat mode. Codename, MEGA." The little genius instructed. Her robotic body started to shift and change. She grew about as tall as Leni, her typical sweater replaced by green armor plating, and one of her hands and arms was replaced by an arm cannon.

"Rawr!" Lily growled, growing tiger fur and a little tail to become Tiger Lily.

"Allow me to lead the way." Mystic Mortician said, slashing a hole through space and time to create a passage through to the stadium.

"I've never gone through one of these before. Is it safe?" Tattle Tail asked nervously as Lucy stepped through the portal.

"It should be." LISA replied in a deadpan manner, following Lucy though the passage. Fashion Plate and Tiger Lily were the next to pass, with Tattle Tail nervously taking up the rear. With a blink of an eye, she stepped out in the upper bleachers of the stadium along her sisters, ducking down low so she could survey the scene before them. It looked pretty bleak. Most of the family was coming too, but were in no position to fight: Deci-Belle and Miss Fix It were both locked in place. Chain Linc was held to a table by a powerful electromagnet. the Iron Chef was floating in some kind of strange green liquid, punching the side of his pod in a desperate attempt to escape. Lady Glori was in a similar substance, but she hadn't woken up yet. Glacial Gal was awake, but looked weak and sluggish in the heated pod. Grappler was surrounded by a cage made of similar electrical energy to Tetherby's stun cannon. April Fool was sitting cross legged in her pod, clearly planning brutal revenges by the look on her face. Lord Tetherby was walking around the circle of pods and tables, smirking at the trapped supers with smug satisfaction.

"Nine down and only four to go." He said, pausing for a moment in front of each of his captives to better look at them. "It wasn't easy, certainly, but the most profitable ventures rarely ever are."

"...when I get out of this, I'm going to kick your butt to China and back!" Grappler threatened him, glaring at the energy cage she was trapped in.

"Keep dreaming, musclehead. You aren't leaving until one of two things happen…"

"And those are…?" Deci-Belle inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"One, you all agree to the terms of my contract and become a part of my company, as I requested earlier." Tetherby explained. "Otherwise, you will all leave ruined...as I will reveal to, not only Royal Woods, but the world, your secret identities."

"Are you kidding me!?" Chain Linc snapped, trying to pull himself free. However, he was no match for the powerful magnetic force. "All this just because we wouldn't become your employees/slaves!?"

"I don't expect a child like yourself to understand business…"

"I understand that the way to react to a deal gone wrong isn't to become an overgrown toddler!" The one son and the bloated CEO glared at each other for a moment before Lord Tetherby spoke again.

"...looks like I know who will get exposed first, should it come to that."

"Whoa! Never thought Tetherby was a member of NAMBLA." Luan quipped without missing a beat. Luna and Lynn burst out laughing at that, as did Iron Chef. Even Glacial Gal giggled weakly and Lisa had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Lord Tetherby flinched in shock before he turned to the family joker in absolute fury.

"What's that?" Lola whispered to Lisa.

"You don't want to know." The cybernetic child genius replied. The overly plump man stormed over to the console, shoving Marie aside to push a big red button on the machine. The moment he pressed it, Chain Linc, Deci-Belle, and Ms Fix It all screamed in agony as electricity coarsed through their body, Grappler gritting her teeth through her own pain. Meanwhile, Iron Chef looked like he was running out of air inside his pod, the oxygen being sucked out of the strange liquid, and Glacial Gal's pod turned red hot. April Fool and the currently free heroines all gasped in horror, though the torment only lasted a few seconds.

"That, Miss Fool, is what will happen if you make another joke at my expense...or any of you get the bright idea of even attempting to escape again." He warned her, his smug look returning.

"Well, why didn't you punish me instead of them!?"

"Because I suspected it would punish you more to see your family suffer because of your big mouth." Lily had seen enough, even if she didn't entirely understand it. Before anyone could stop her, she shape shifted into a panther and leaped from Fashion Plate's arms. While the area was lit by flood lights, she was able to stay mostly undetected until she pounced toward Lord Thetherby with a roar. The obese villain didn't have enough time to turn on his shield, but he was able to grab hold of her claws before she could start mauling him. However, the force of her leap was enough to knock him on his back. The guards all turned their weapons on them.

"Hold your fire!" Fortesque shouted.

"It's a baby, for crying out loud!" Marie added, suspecting it was indeed Tiger Lily. A part of Tetherby wanted to slap her for that, but the other half knew she was right. He may be a lot of things, but a barbarian wasn't one of them. However, he had a plan for the shape shifting infant.

"Computer! Activate Tiger Lily immobilization tactic!" He shouted. Just then, a soft, soothing lullaby started to play out of speakers in his suit. The big cat continued to try and claw and bite at him for a little bit, but she soon started to get drowsy. It was close to her bed time, after all. Fashion Plate frowned and quietly moved away into the shadows.

"LISA, do you have a plan?" Lucy asked quietly.

"I do have one plan, but it's risky." The child prodigy replied in a whisper. "Tattle Tail, you and I will cause a distraction, keeping Tetherby and his minions busy. Fashion Plate…" She turned her head and noticed their older sister was gone. She scanned the area for a moment before she noticed a new guard carefully approaching the others. "...nevermind. That works too. Mystic, you get to the scientists and make them free our family. You're naturally more intimidating than we are."

"Sounds good…" Lucy commented.

"...I don't really like it...but I don't have a better idea." Lola grumbled.

"Then let us go." LISA said with a steely (no pun intended) expression before she and Tattle Tail jumped down from the bleachers. By this point, Tiger Lily had changed back and was fast asleep, the head of security carefully picking her up and taking her to the crib. "TETHERBY!"

"What the…?" Lord Tetherby turned his head to see who was screaming at him. He grinned when he saw LISA and Tattle Tail. "Isn't this a nice surprise?"

"Release our family this instant and surrender yourself, or else we will be forced to turn this into a skirmish…"

"You aren't exactly in a position to make threats, little girl." He replied snidely, putting special emphasis on the words 'little girl'.

"You were warned…" LISA said, her targeting system already locked on to the mech riding millionaire. She fired a pair of plasma bolts at him, though the bolts struck his energy shield instead of his power armor. However, her intent was to keep his attention, not damage him, and she had certainly gotten his attention. Meanwhile, most of the security force was going after Tattle Tail, who let loose with a supersonic scream upon them. A few armed guards that were too far away to be really affected by her scream raised their weapons and took aim at the young superheroine. Before they could take the shots, however, one of their own men grabbed two of them by the head and slammed them together.

"Huh? What gives!?" The third guard threatening Tattle Tail from a distance asked before a boot to the head knocked him to the ground, the traitorous rent a cop relieving him of his laser rifle. With Tetherby and almost all of his paid security staff busy, Mystic Mortician's way was clear. She sliced a portal straight down to the computer console, where only the security chief and one of his men remained to guard/prevent the scientists from acting on their consciences. When the pale practitioner of dark magic appeared, they both instantly raised their weapons, only to have the barrels sliced clean off by her scythe.

"I'm only asking nicely one. Set them free." She said in an angrier monotone than usual.

"Alright...you win, kid…" The head of security said, holding his hands up. "Just press that rectangular, orange button labelled release…" She glanced over to the button in question and extended a hand to press it.

"Wa-" Marie tried to say, but her mouth was covered by the only other guard not presently dealing with the attacking superpowered Louds. Lucy pressed the button and felt a sharp, electric charge surge through her body.

"Aaaaggggghhhhhh…." She grunted before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

"Oops...did I forget to mention you need a password to activate release protocol? Silly me…" The chief said with a snide chuckle. "Children will believe anything…"

"Get away from her!" A blonde hair young rookie screamed as he ran at the chief, carrying the rifle like it were a club. He swung the weapon, but the seasoned guard was easily able to avoid the strike. Then, he grabbed the traitor's weapon, rammed it into his gut to wind him, then smacked him across the face with the butt of the rifle, knocking him down. Before he could get back up, the chief stepped down hard on his chest, keeping him on his back.

"And here I thought I trained you lot better…" He said with a sneer, reaching down to grab the rookie by the hair. With one tug, her removed the mask, revealing Fashion Plate underneath it. "Hehehe...look who's 'fashionably' late to the party…" He pointed the laser weapon right at Leni, who was starting to shake with fear. Before he could do anything, however, a whoopie cushion struck him in the side of the head, exploding in a cloud of foul smelling gas. He coughed and choked, stumbling away from the cloud and right into a snarling April Fool's fist. She followed up with a knee to the groin, then a double handed hammer blow to knock him down.

"...I'LL do the jokes here…"

"April Fool! How did you get away?" A pleasantly surprised Fashion Plate asked as her sister helped her up.

"I'm pretty much a toon, Fashion Plate. I can escape almost anything." She explained, gesturing to the tube with the Luan shaped hole cut into it before glaring at the last remaining guard in the console area. Seeing the odds were very much against him, he did the only logical thing; he turned tail and ran for it. "Smart man…" Her attention went to the scientist. "Do I even need to say it?" Marie and Fortesque shook their heads. "Good. Fash, make sure they play nice. I'm going after the fat man…" The super jester said, drawing her giant mallet from behind her back.

Back with LISA, she and Tetherby seemed to be locked in a stalemate. Tetherby's plasma powered tennis balls had power and he had his energy shield to protect him, while LISA had agility, superior aim and the ability to think much faster than Lord Tetherby. She could roll, dodge and evade his shots, but she couldn't hit him hard enough to stop him. However, if she really wanted to do that, she would be trying. She was still concentrating on keeping his attention, so she wanted to make as big a pest of herself as possible. Therefore, she continued to pepper his barrier with energy shots, while keeping herself out of the way of his own shots. Tetherby was quickly losing patience, so he decided this game had to end now. His gatling cannon retracted into his arm and changed back into his stun cannon...but it looked different. The barrel was glowing blue instead of white. He fired a sapphire colored ball of electrical energy at LISA. She dove to the side, but when the sphere hit the ground, it burst and suddenly, her body shut down and she felt a terrible pain in her head as her vision went blurry. She cringed in pain, unable to move as the grinning Tetherby came strolling over. "EMP...I...admit I didn't...expect you to have...access to such technology…" She said in a screechy voice, indicating her sound card was fouling up.

"I have money, robot, and lots of it. I could get any and all of the world's tech if I really wanted to."

"Number one, I am no mere robot…" She started to say.

"I think that hardly matters at this point…" He said, the emp cannon aimed right at her. "Right now, the only thing that matters is you're going to be joining your family…"

"STOP!" April Fool screamed from right behind the armor suited Tetherby, before smacking him to the side with her mallet, sending him rolling across the grass like a croquet ball. "...hammer time."

"Nice one, sis!" Deci-Belle yelled in the distance.

"HOW DID YOU ESCAPE!?" Tetherby yelled in outrage as he tried to get back up, stuck on his back.

"Explained it once, not explaining it again." Luan commented, leaping at the rotund CEO with her giant hammer. He barely managed to roll out of the way to avoid getting slammed. Tetherby started to sweat a bit, glancing behind her to see Tattle Tail getting ganged up on by five unarmed security guards. He grinned and looked to April Fool.

"You may want to focus on what is about to happen to your little sister, Fool…"

"No need. She has this." She replied with a grin of her own.

"Ok,sweetie...just give up and don't give us any more trouble…" One of the five men around Lola said as they all closed in on her. If they were armed, she would probably be more worried. Unarmed, however, was another matter altogether. The moment one of them reached for her, she struck like a cobra, planting a heeled foot into his gut. She then kicked off his midsection and spun around in the air, her tail lashing out and whipping all the goons across the face. The force was enough to knock them all into one another, knocking two out, and the one kicked in the gut in no shape to try fighting again. Satisfied, Tattle Tail ran over to LISA to help her get back up.

"See? Now...where were we?" April Fool asked with an expression that she was going to enjoy tenderizing this slab of pork.

Back at the console, Fortesque had input the password and pressed the button to free the entrapped family. Most of them fell to their knees after being released, particularly Iron Chef, while Marie had to help Glacial Gal out of the heat and Lady Glori was still out cold. Grappler stood up straight and stretched her muscles as soon as she had freedom to move, while Fashion Plate was trying to wake Mystic Mortician back up. "We're very sorry about this…" Marie said as the cool evening air started to help the chilled speedster to recover.

"We'll discuss this later…" Iron Chef said sternly as he regained his strength.

"Yeah...right now, it looks like April Fool needs help." Grappler added, glaring at Tetherby. Since April Fool didn't have the element of surprise anymore, the portly CEO was able to put up a defense. Her hammer kept hitting his shield, which nearly knocked her off her feet from the force feedback. However, her toonish stretching kept her safe from his retaliatory shots from his tennis ball gatling cannon. "I'm going after the big guy…" She said, cracking her knuckles and charging at Lord Tetherby. He never saw her coming, but Luan did.

"Hey, Tetherby! What's minestrone's signature move?" She asked with a smirk.

"I don't know. What?" He asked, just as the bulked up Lynn grabbed him from behind.

"The Soup-lex!" Grappler answered, before she slammed the mech riding lardo with one of her own.

"Hahaha! Nice execution, sis!"

"Thanks! Think I delivered the punchline pretty good too." She replied before she kicked Tetherby like a soccer ball, sending him rolling out of control across the field. She wasn't done with him yet, though. She bounded across the grass after him, catching up in no time and picking him up. She wound up her right arm and haymakered the flabby fiend skyward. As he turned end over end into the air, Iron Chef saw this as his opportunity. He soared into the air, leaving a fiery smoke trail in his wake. He flew right into Tetherby's path, catching him before he could fly out of the stadium.

"Whew...good show, old-" He started to say, but he was interrupted with an iron fist to the face. Then another, and another, and another.

"If. You. Ever. Touch. Any. Of. My. Children. Again…" He growled, decking him again with each word as a bruise started to form on his face. Before he could continue, he heard a whistle from below. The metal plated father looked down, seeing Miss Fix It waving up at him, then pointing over at a pile of metal balls and discs. He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but decided to go with it. He flipped in the air and went into a nose dive with Tetherby in hand.

"You've been making explosives!?" An outraged Rita asked Lana, her arms folded in front of her.

"They're just concussive, G. Gal." Miss Fix It explained with a shrug. "They're designed to stun and immobilize, not maim and destroy."

"...we'll discuss this when we get home…" She warned the little six year old. Seconds before they made contact, Iron Chef let go of the villain before stopping in mid air, thanks to his own fiery feet jets. Tetherby, on the other hand, only barely had enough time to turn on his shields before he slammed right into a pile of force mines and grenades, sending him flying once more. Lana smiled, pleased her tools worked so well. It was worth the telling off she was going to receive when she got home. Having reclaimed her guitar, Deci-Belle created her flying construct and flew off after the airborne malefactor, then ahead of him.

"You may be used to living the high life, but you're about to learn it's a hard rock life!" She quipped before she started jamming on her ax, pointing the neck at him. A powerful wave of sonic sound energy shot from it, knocking Tetherby down to the ground like he were a swatted fly.

"...some days, it doesn't pay to get out of bed…" He groaned as he pulled his face out of her dirt. He turned his head to see Grappler, Iron Chef, the twins and April Fool headed right for him. Unable to really move his muscles at the moment, he kicked on his jetpack, sending his flying only a few feet from the grass, headed right for Fashion Plate and the slowly recovering Mystic Mortician. Not necessarily planned, but it worked in his mind. However, before he could get too close, Glacial Gal zoomed by just in front of him, knocking him off course and flying right into an ice wall she just created. Unable to stop, he plowed right into it, his head getting stuck inside the freeze obstacle.

"Here. Let me help you with that." Chain Linc said, wrapping his chains around the robotic legs of the prideful, greedy criminal and, with all his strength, pulled him out of the wall.

"...T...t...thanks…" The chilled businessman replied before he grabbed the chains. "Now get over here!" He yanked hard on the steel ropes, pulling the young chain fighter right toward him. Unfortunately for Tetherby, this was exactly what Lincoln wanted him to do. He flipped in midair and kicked the overly round man in the face with both feet. He dropped to the ground, releasing the chains around his opponent's legs before extending new ones from his arms. While Tetherby was still dazed, Chain Linc went on the offensive, lashing his metal whips against the robotic armored chest, arms and legs. His strikes were fast and repetitive as he swung his arms, turned and twirled, and spun into lightning fast combos. As this was happening, April Fool got an idea. She ran over to the crib where Tiger Lily was still asleep. She reached in a gently shook her awake. The super powered baby opened her eyes, looking a little grumpy, as she usually did when she just woke from her nap.

"Sorry, kitty kid, but if you wanna vent a little of that frustration…" She leaned back and pointed to where Tetherby was getting barraged by their brother. "...why not take it out on that jerk?" The Loud toddler frowned at Lord Tetherby, and nodded, jumping out of the crib and turning into a large buffalo before her newly formed hooves touched the ground. She then stampeded toward the tubby aristocrat, who was just starting to recover from the double kick to the face. Lincoln dove out of the way, just in time for Lily to ram him right in the chest, demolishing the chest plate and sending Tetherby flying back and flat on his back. Lord Tetherby moaned in pain as he forced himself to get up, seeing he was surrounded by heroes.

"It's over, Tetherby." Iron Chef informed him. "Give up now and it won't have to get any more unpleasant for you…"

"I'm not done yet...I still have one trick left…" He growled, his shooting arm spouting a tetherball surrounded by electricity. "The Tetherball Special!" He shouted, launching the ball at Iron Chef. He simply stepped to the side, letting it fly past him.

"...didn't learn from last time, did you?" Chain Linc taunted.

"Oh, but I did!" He declared. His torso and arms started to turn at a rapid pace, which caused the electrified tetherball to fly through the air, forcing most of the heroes to duck under it. The robotic suit spun faster and faster, which swung the ball ever faster. The heroes who weren't forced to hit the dirt couldn't get close enough to do anything to him.

"Well, this is inconvenient…" LISA commented, watching the scene from beside Fashion Plate and Mystic Mortician, Lady Glori finally getting slowly to her feet.

"No way we can get close enough to him to even put a hand on him…" Grappler said, ticked off by this turn of events.

"We don't need to." Chain Linc said with a smirk. "Because I can do this." He pointed up at the chain swinging over his head and flicked his finger toward Tetherby. The ball was suddenly thrown back toward its master, bopping him right on the head and shocking him at the same time. His armor stopped spinning as he started reeling in place, almost completely out now.

"Looks like one more blow will just about do it." Glacial Gal commented.

"...then allow me…" Lady Glory said, looking very irate as she stormed closer to Lord Tetherby. Before he could recover, she grabbed the links holding his tetherball special in place and used them to bind his metal arms to his sides. Then, she reared back her right fist and punched his suit's chest with all her might. The inner workings of the robotic mech were demolished from the force of her punch and Tetherby was sent soaring through the air once more. She was about to fly after him, but as he flying helplessly through the sky, the tetherball got caught on the flagpole just outside of the stadium. It bent a little bit before recoiling back, sending the wealthy villain careening back toward it, hitting it solidly with his back before causing him fall toward the ground. Fortunately, the chain wasn't long enough for him to hit the ground, leaving him hanging a couple feet from the grass. The entire league emerged from the stadium to check on Lord Tetherby, Lady Glori carrying LISA in her arms. His suit was complete immobile and he was in no shape to try anything else.

"It seems that last attack has rendered Lord Tetherby's mechanical aid in villainy useless." The hyper intelligent synthetic Lisa reasoned as she looked at him.

"Then it's really over now…" Rita said with a sigh.

"I will contact the police and make sure he and his minions don't get away." Iron Chef said, pulling out a communicator to signal the cops.

"I think I'll stay and give super Pop a hand." Grappler said with a sly grin. She clearly had something else in mind.

"Sounds good." Glacial Gal commented with a nod, Tiger Lily changing back so she could get picked up by the super mother. "The rest of us will head back to HQ. It's past Tiger Lily's bedtime...and SOMEONE needs a talking to."

"Awwww, Mom…" Miss Fix It groaned as she hopped onto her flying disc with Tattle Tail and flying off with the rest of the family following suite in their own way. With it being just the two of them and Tehterby, Lynn Jr turned and walked right up to him with a sinister smirk on her face.

"My suit may be inactive, but my shields are still functional!" He snapped at her. "And since they run on a seperate energy source, it could be hours before they drain!"

"That's just what I was hoping for." Grappler told him, her grin growing even more. "Hey Dad! Up for a game of tetherball!?" She called out, pointing to Lord Tetherby. His eyes widened as he realized what his mouth just got him into, Iron Chef turning to see what his daughter was talking about. He considered the issue for a moment, then grinned himself.

"Sure. Why not?" He replied, strolling over to the side of the pole opposite Grappler. "It'll be a while before the police arrive. Here's hoping I'm not too rusty."

"Now wait just a-" The flabby fiend started to say, but the bulked up heroine already punched his shield, sending him whirling around the pole toward the Iron Chef. He responded by punching the armored villain back around. "First to ten?"

"You're on!" She declared as she double hand hit him back round.

"You cant…do this...to me!" Lord Tetherby cried, getting only a few words out with each hit. "I am Lord...Tetherby! I...practically own...this town!" His complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears as the father and daughter continued to play. "I'LL SUUUUUUUUUUUE!"

* * *

_AN: Lord Tetherby's powers come from the robotic suit he wears, rather than what was granted by the incident. Tools on the suit include: a jet pack and feet thrusters, the Tetherball Special, a gatling cannon shooting plasma tennis balls, a stunner, an EMP rifle, and personal shielding. He will gain more tricks to counter some of the Louds as time goes on. His hatred for the super hero family stems from his greed and his wounded pride, after they refused to sign on as his personal superhero team, and he failed his first foray into superhero work. He plans to one day get them under his control, or to ruin their reputation in Royal Woods so no one else can profit off them._


	5. Chapter 5: Drunk with Power

_AN: A new story, with a new villain introduced. Before we get to it though, allow me to respond to a few of the comments left in the review section._

_Owl Dusk: Not too long, though they probably won't be featured too much outside of communications until later, when the bigger story arcs come into play. Don't want to get bogged down with way too many characters too soon._

_Nick Name: Thank you for your suggestions for the super prison. I plan to reveal it in the next chapter and I think I like the idea of including Stronghold into the name._

_Guest: Loud House celebs as fellow superheroes? Possibly. We'll see what happens down the road. Thanks for the suggestions._

_Oh, and having caught up with the latest episodes of the show and gotten to know her character, I have decided that Sid WILL be appearing in the story, just in a later chapter._

* * *

Drunk with Power

2 AM. A time when most citizens would be in bed, fast asleep. The only ones who weren't were those working the graveyard shift, late night policemen, and a handful of night owls. And one particularly unsteady individual stumbling his way along the sidewalk in front of the Far Wellington Bank branch in Royal Woods. He was wearing a disheveled maroon robe, white wine stained pajama pants, and fancy dress shoes. He was balding with light gray hair and a crooked nose as if it had been broken and never healed properly. To the casual observer, he looked like the typical drunk, just reeling his way through the night. It would be true, except this drunk was anything but typical. He came to a stop in front of the entrance, staring at the door for a moment before pulling out his ring of keys and fiddling with the lock for a moment before it clicked open. With the door now opened, he stumbled his way into the bank. In spite of being closed, the business naturally still had its cameras running. However, he didn't seem to care as he walked wobbly through the lobby. He drunkenly meandered up to the vault, pulling a bottle from his robe and taking a drink from it. He then proceeded to toy around with the locking mechanism for the vault for a couple minutes until the grinding of metal upon metal could be heard and the vault door slowly opened. The drunkard then strolled right into the vault, humming a merry tune to himself.

* * *

"Now let me get this straight…" A black police woman with short scarlet hair inquired of the distraught bank president as she reviewed her notes. "Someone picked the lock into the bank, waltzed up to the vault, somehow gets past the locking mechanism, and made off with millions...all without triggering an alarm?"

"Yes, Officer Miraz."

"...Pardon my saying so, Mr Charles, but that seems somewhat far fetched."

"I quite agree…" A stern faced police detective in a black polo and brown dress pants with black shoes with dark gray hair and a mustache said as he stormed over. "...the only way that codswallop makes ANY sense is if they had a key to the bank, and key and password to the vault...and WHO has all three, hmmm?" He asked, leering at the intimidated bank president.

"I wouldn't go jumping to conclusions like that, sir…" The angry officer and Officer Miraz both turned their heads to see they had company: Chain Linc and the Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton in her usual form.

"Sorry, kids, the bank is closed, so go play someplace else…" The detective grumbled.

"Detective Wulfe, these aren't mere kids. They're from the Royal Woods Heroes League…" The red headed officer attempted to explain.

"Super. Let them go be heroes someplace else. This is a police matter."

"Detective, if I may…" LISA said calmly as she walked up to the sour faced investigator, while her brother went to go look around with the rest of the crime scene investigative team. "...someone has effectively absconded with what can only be described as an insane amount of money from the most secure location in this particular banking establishment, all without triggering an alarm. This sounds like the culprit is far from a normal criminal, hence why Chain Linc and I are here." Detective Wulfe just glared at her for a moment before he spoke again.

"Ok. I understand wanting the robot around, but the kid will only get in the way…"

"Number one: I am not a robot. I am an artificial humanoid automaton, street name android." An annoying Lisa explained to him. "Second, while he may be young, Chain Linc is easily the best detective our team has to offer."

"Hmph. That probably isn't saying much…" He said derisively. "All he'll do is slow down the investigation by asking stupid questions…"

"Hey, was there some kind of office party here last night?" The chain carrying young man asked as he searched below one of the tellers' desks.

"Case in point…"

"N..no. We don't hold office parties within the bank building. Company policy." Mr Charles replied.

"Then I think we have ourselves a clue." Chain Linc stated as he pulled up an empty beer bottle from under the desk using one of his arm bindings, setting it on the table.

"You were saying, detective?" Officer Miraz said with a smirk.

"...brat got lucky…" He grumbled. "Besides, how is it even linked to the theft? Could just be an employee who can't get through the day without a drink…"

"Sir. We just finished reviewing and copying the security footage." A young, freckle faced police rookie said after he ran up and saluted the other two officers.

"Good work, rookie. Let's have a look see." Detective Wulfe said. The police freshman pulled a pda from his pocket and started the video. The only one to enter the bank that late was a clearly plastered, middle aged man...or at least that's what they assumed by what they could see. The way he staggered and swayed through the lobby, none of the cameras got a clear view of his face. However, he did clearly have a bottle in his hand as he worked the locking mechanism. He dropped the bottle after unlocking the vault door, where it rolled under the desk.

"The kid may be on to something after all." The african american police woman commented before turning back to the team. "Dust that bottle for prints. It may be important."

"...lucky SOB...somehow managed to tumble his way through without getting IDed…"

"I don't think it's lucky...LISA, am I imagining it, or do those movements seem...less random than the usual movements of someone who's drunk?" Chain Linc asked as he watched the footage one more time.

"Indeed." LISA replied, her eyes turning a soft red as she thought. "In fact...watching his preambling in slow motion...his moves are far too precise and planned for one as intoxicated as he seems."

"Almost like he knows exactly where the cameras are…" Detective Wulfe mused angrily.

"But for someone as drunk as he is to not only retain that information, but be able to make and execute a plan around that information...it seems utterly impossible…"

"Perhaps he didn't drink as much as we think." Officer Miraz suggested.

"Actually...he filled the vault boxes he cleaned out with empty bottles." Mr Charles interjected.

"Nevermind…"

"I will continue to review the footage back at home base...in the meantime, I'd like a closer look at that bottle." LISA said, having wirelessly downloaded the video into her cyber brain. She turned her attention to the beer bottle her brother had found, her eyes turning green. "Analyzing. One bottle of brewed hops, AKA beer. Great Lakes Lager brand, most popular brand in the Michigan state. Narrowing down the purchaser would be an impossibility." She commented in a robotic voice. "Anything on the prints?"

"Not a thing...prints are almost completely blank…" LISA frowned as she moved around the desk to see for herself. Sure enough, there were only trace amounts of finger and hand prints in seeming random places.

"Hmmmm. Possibly caused by acid or burn damage, I imagine. Cannot say for certain, however. Still, the level of forethought that went into this robbery suggests this was premeditated."

"But who plans to rob a bank drunk!?" Detective Wulfe inquired, still in bad temper.

"No one, apart from this guy." Chain Linc commented. "...and it, clearly yet unfortunately, worked for him."

"Once more, indeed." LISA agreed with a nod.

"Mr Charles, has the bank let anyone go recently?" The young man inquired. "Possibly for drinking problems?"

"Well, we did have to fire one employee, but she wasa no call no show for a few days."

"Hmmm. Was kind of hoping we could have gotten a name to work with."

"Well, it was a good idea, even if it didn't pan out." LISA commented, fiddling with her glasses. "Chain Linc, if you would be so kind as to investigate the vault with the police. I plan to scan the route the perpetrator took to look for DNA evidence." Her older brother nodded and went off into the vault, while the cybernetic toddler eyes shone with an orange light as she scanned the carpeted floor thoroughly.

* * *

"A drunken bank robber?" Lady Glori inquired as she and Deci Belle went out on patrol late in the afternoon. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as Mystic, sis." The rocking heroine replied. "LISA said the guy cleaned out most the vault while wasted."

"What a world we live in, eh?" Lori commented, shaking her head. "Were she and Linc able to find anything about him?"

"Not a lot. General physical description and his drink preference. Unfortunately, both are just a bit too vague to pin it on anyone."

"Sigh...I hate leaving things to fate...but it looks like we'll have to wait until he strikes again, and try and catch him in the act."

"Lady Glori, Deci-Belle, do you read us?" Came the voice of Lana from Deci-Belle's communicator.

"Loud and clear, Fix It. What's the word?" Luna replied.

"There's a drunk guy causing a racket at Flip's." Lola informed the two of them. "Messing the place up, and trying to steal beer."

"Sounds like something the police could handle on their own." The oldest of the super siblings commented.

"Maybe, but we better check it out anyway. May be the same guy who robbed the bank last night." Deci-Belle reasoned, turning her flying guitar toward the scene.

"Seems kinda silly for a guy who robbed a bank just last night to go steal beer next. Why not just buy it and not bring attention to himself?"

"Maybe he's feeling cocky?" Miss FIx It suggested with a shrug (though neither of the patrolling heroes could see this).

"Or he's worried the bills are marked." The musical super heroine said.

"Well, whoever it is, whatever the reason, I suppose it couldn't hurt to provide some backup."

"That's the spirit, LG. Now let's go catch ourselves a boozehound." Lady Glori nodded as the two raced off through the air.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Flip's, two police officers were in a pile over by the expired milk products, unconscious, with a third holding a taser toward the drunken suspect standing on a pile of chip bags and potato chips, a couple cases of Great Lake Lager bottles stacked next to him. The man in question was wearing the same outfit as the bank robber the previous night. Flip was taking cover behind his counter, the cameras that usually watched the store smashed to pieces. "Come on, buddy! What do I pay taxes for!?" The dumpy, grumpy gas station owner yelled.

"I'm trying!" The officer replied as he triggered the taser, prongs attached to wires flying right at the boozer. However, he simply leaned to one side, Matrix style, and grabbed the wires as they passed. With a sharp tug, he pulled the cop right toward him and smashed him in the face with his elbow, knocking him unconscious.

"Good...good effort, occifers...but it'll take *hic* more than tat to take on de Drunken Master…" The sloshed suspect slurred and chuckled as he reached for his prize.

"Hold it right there." Lady Glori declared from the store entrance, arms crossed in front of her, her super sister standing right beside her.

"Uh oh...It's Gagy Lordy...no...Dory Glali...uh...Lagy Rolli?" The Drunken Master attempted to say, irking the powerful young heroine.

"Lady Glori!"

"That was gonna be my necks guess…"

"Whoa...look sis...officers down." The brunette in purple pointed out, bringing her sister's attention to the fallen police officers.

"...this guy may be more trouble than I thought." Lori muttered, cracking her knuckles. "...but I could probably take him."

"Hold up, LG. Let's try and talk the bloke down…" Deci-Belle suggested, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I mean, he's unarmed...throwing super punches at him seems kind of extreme."

"...yeah, I see your point." Lady Glori said quietly with a nod. "Alright. Go for it. I have your back."

"Righteous." Luna said with a smile before she stepped closer to the worried looking Drunken Master. "Hey dude...let's be cool about this. We don't need this to come to blows." She said in a calm, friendly manner. She noticed something strange as she got closer to him. She started to feel a little odd...kind of dizzy, a little loose.

"Yeah...I shee yer point, Beci-Delle...ok. I'll give up…" He managed to spit out, shakily raising his hands. "All I wanted wuz shome drinks…"

"I'm sure we can get you an ice cold water when we get to the station." Deci-Belle was only a few steps from him when she stopped, holding her head as her vision started to blur.

"Deci-Belle? What's wrong?" Her older sister asked in concern.

"...acting funny, and don't know why…" She groaned, looking and feeling unsteady on her feet.

"Ye know...on shecond thought...lez dance." The loaded looter said with a grin, grabbing one of her arms and starting to swing her about in a drunken attempt at dancing. "Lou lou, skip to my lou...lou lou, skip to my lou…" At first, the guitar playing super heroine tried to pull free. However, the longer she spent in close proximity to the Drunken Master, the stranger she felt. She started feeling more...drunk. She was soon giggling nonsensically and dancing right along with him.

"Lou lou, skip to my lou. Skip to my lou, my darling." The two sang together before falling over and laughing it up.

"Deci-Belle!? Are you alright!?"

"Super, sis...this guy's a riot hahahaha…" Deci-Belle responded, trying to get to her feet, but falling over. Drunken Master, on the other hand, stood right back up.

"Well, tat was fun." He said, reaching to pick up his cases of alcohol. "...but I should go…"

"You're not going anywhere!" Lady Glori yelled, charging at Drunken Master. Nevermind the fact he was unarmed, and without powers as near as she knew. He did SOMETHING to her sister, and he wasn't going to get away way it. This turned out to be a big mistake for her, because as soon as she got close, she instantly started feeling intoxicated. And for some reason, it hit her even harder. She was seeing double before she even reached him, which caused her to try and tackle the double instead. This resulted her in knocking over one of the shelves instead, before she fell to the ground. "Ugh...what's going on...why is the room spinning?"

"Hmmmm. Never would have seen this coming…" The larcenous lush commented quietly as he watched Lady Glori pass out as if she had had too much to drink. "But I'm not complaining." He chuckles as he started to drunken stumble his way out of the gas station store. "Shee you around, chubby!" He called out to Flip as he departed.

* * *

Some time later, Lady Glori started to wake back up, feeling as if she had just had a nap. When the sleep had left her eyes, she spotted a few policemen standing over her, looking disapprovingly at her. Not only that, but Glacial Gal was there, speaking to a few other officers holding Deci-Belle. "Let me get this straight...you're saying my daughters let the suspect get away...because they were intoxicated?"

"I know it sounds like a harsh accusation, Glacial Gal, but we have a witness to confirm this. Plus Deci-Belle here was still acting tipsy when we arrived, and Lady Glori was still sleeping it off." The Loud mother slowly looked to Luna, who looked very confused, then to Lori, equally lost.

"It's true!" Flip shouted, looking pretty irate. "They let him get away, with some my products!"

"...do you have any evidence?" Glacial Gal inquired, her arms crossed.

"Do you see the criminal around!?"

"I mean about their being intoxicated!"

"Oh...they looked it." She just glared at him for a moment before turning her attention to the cops.

"Do YOU have any evidence?" The boys and girls in blue were all silent, as the extent of their evidence was Flip's testimony and what they saw. "In that case...your hands. Off my daughter." She said sternly. The cop holding Deci-Belle quickly let her go, while Lady Glori carefully got to her feet. "You two, get back to headquarters!" Rita barked, her two daughters jumping in shock before they flew off with all haste. "Now then, Flip...I want you to tell me what happened, from the top…"

* * *

"You don't think Mom thinks we were actually drunk...do you?" Lori asked her rock star sister, a look of deep concern on her face as they flew toward one of the many hidden entrances to league HQ.

"I don't wanna think so...but I dunno…" Deci-Belle replied, sweating a bit. "She sounded mighty angry…" Lady Glori gulped a bit. She hoped their mother would give them a chance to explain themselves as she pressed a button on her belt. A secret hatch in the middle of the forest opened up, letting the two fliers dive right in. It closed tight behind them as they flew through the tube like corridor down into the subterranean secret base of the Royal Woods Hero's League. Not long after they arrive, Rita appeared in a blur of light blue and white. She still had a very stern look on her face, which boded poorly for the teen heroines.

"Mom, you have to believe us…" Lori immediately said in a pleading tone, about one step away from falling to her knees. "...we don't know what happened back there, but we weren't drunk. We've never had a drink of alcohol in our lives." Luna felt herself sweat just a little bit more after her older sister had said that.

"Lori, calm down. I believe you." She said in a calm tone.

"You do?" Both young ladies asked at the same time.

"Of course. I think I know my own daughters much better than a couple of flatfoots and a man who, to my knowledge, doesn't even have children." Rita replied, giving them a soft smile. Lady Glori and Deci-Belle both gave sighs of relief. "Still, the circumstances do look bad, so I had to make it look like I was going to punish you both regardless...I suggest you two lay low for a bit, from a hero standpoint, until we can figure things out." She explained to them.

"Yeah...that would probably be for the best." Luna said as she took off her mask, though she wasn't happy with that idea.

"What exactly did happen at Flip's?" LISA inquired from within the main computer. "I was unable to hack into his security cameras."

"If I had to hazard a guess, the same drunkard who robbed it and took down three cops busted them up." Lori responded as she changed back from her super persona.

"Another intoxicated criminal...can you describe him, Lori?" She nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but paused when she realized something.

"I….I can't remember…" She admitted. "The last thing I remember was rushing the guy after he did...something to Deci-Belle...then I started seeing double, I felt nauseous, and the room started spinning like an out of control merry go round...then I think I passed out."

"What happened to you, Luna?" Her mother asked, sounding worried.

"Well, after I talked the guy into surrendering and got closer to him, I started feeling really dizzy...really...loose. Everything felt like it was fun and funny. I could hardly feel my legs, and everything looked like a blur."

"Fascinating…" The digital embodiment of the second youngest Loud commented. "Those sound like symptoms indicative of over indulging in alcohol…" Lori and Luna both look at their mother with fearful expressions.

"Don't worry. I still believe you." She told them. "Fortunately, Flip was able to give me a decent description of the perpetrator after a little pressing. Balding, crooked nose, five o'clock shadow."

"Hmmmm. That helps a little. I may be able to narrow down the list of suspects to ascertain the true identity of this hard drinking ne'er do well." Lisa said as she started to search through the police records. Since the league was working alongside the police, the information was freely shared with them, and LISA shared her own insights and discoveries with them. "A search of local criminals fitting that description, particularly with a history of alcohol abuse, should yield a positive result...or at least something."

* * *

Meanwhile, several miles away, in a dive of a hotel just outside of Royal Woods, the criminal in question was sitting in his hotel room, smirking as he typed onto a beaten up laptop. The room was completely filthy, with mold in places on the wall and ceiling, and roaches all over the place. Sadly, there were just as many beer cans and bottles as there were roaches. However, in spite of being drunk off his rear an hour or two ago, he was absolutely sober. "Heh heh heh. This has been just brilliant so far." He commented to himself. "First, I get away with a metric crap load of money, but then I even got away from these super powered heroes without even having to do anything." He paused in his typing as he held his chin with one hand. "Not gonna lie...didn't expect to run into super heroes here...nor that they would be affected by...whatever happened to me. But it worked out nicely for me, so I'll take it." He chuckled again. "I do wonder how this all worked, though...I mean, it was just a flash of light, right…?"

* * *

A few months ago…

Stumbling through the back alleys of Chicago, a pathetic wreck of a man was nearly pass out drunk, an empty wine bottle in his hand and wearing threadbare rags. His name was Steve Fergs. He had no money, no job, no home, no one to go to for help except for the next bottle or can of alcohol he manages to come across. He had gotten addicted to alcohol back in his college days, but only as recent as a few weeks ago hit rock bottom, wandering the streets, begging for money and beer. Today, in his near blinding stupor, he was stumbling someplace he shouldn't be going: onto the turf of some drug dealers. Some drug dealers who knew him and didn't like him one bit. They surround him with the intention of beating him to death, Steve all the while thinking if had a chance, he would turn his life around. Right at that moment, the strange light engulfed the lot of them. The dealers were confused by the sudden flash, but Steve...he felt a sudden clarity of thought, as if he were no longer drunk as a skunk (even though he was). He quickly got to his feet, the drug pushers making their move. They swung at him with lead pipes, fists and bats, but the booze hound was able to easily bob and weave away from each attack. Each move seemed like a lucky dodge from an intoxicated man, but luck only had a little to do with it. As he evaded his assailants, he punched and kicked out at the dealers amidst his evasive swaying. They never saw it coming. With all the dealers down and out, Steve decided it was time to beat it before the police arrived, and try and figure out what just happened.

* * *

"...ah, doesn't matter. I'm not complaining." Drunken Master said with a half hearted. "Coming to Royal Woods was one of your better ideas there, Stevie...they don't know me here. And even if they did, good luck finding me, and even better luck stopping me." He grabbed a half full bottle of booze, taking a deep swig of it. "I promised in that alley I would turn my life around...and you know what? I am. One or two more big robberies, and I'll be set for life. I can get a nice big house off the grid, and won't have to do anything but drink to my heart's content. No more crime. No more begging. No more Drunken Master." He returned his focus to his computer, typing away rapidly. "Let's see...which bank would have the most money…"

* * *

It was a few days since Drunken Master's last robbery and, at their mother's recommendation, Lori and Luna took some downtime from hero work. It gave them a little time for their social life, but it also meant they were the primary candidates for monitor duty. Apart from LISA, Ms Fix It and Iron Chef, no one really liked or tolerated monitor duty. It was dull, tedious, but important work. And today, it was Lori's turn. She had hoped her cybernetic little sister would have taken the duty, but she wanted to closely study the sauced bank robber's unusual power for herself, and that meant going out on patrol with the others more often. Things seemed very quite in town at the moment, and that made the eldest sister all the more bored. Fortunately, she had her phone with her and she could text Bobby as much as she wanted, which made things a bit more tolerable. As usual, they were just chatting it up about how much they loved each other, but soon the topic turned to Lincoln.

When she left suddenly at the end of their last dinner date, she had told him her brother had been hurt (which was somewhat true thanks to Lord Tetherby, but she didn't know it at the time). Between that and Lincoln being unable to answer his phone, Ronnie Anne was made understandably concerned. Fortunately, Lori was pretty handy with makeup and, with Leni's help, was able to make her brother look like he had been beaten up; at least, close enough to fool her over a video chat. They made up a story of how a bully had beaten him up, but ran off when Lady Glori flew over head. Said emergency was the sister's banding together to find that punk and teach him a lesson, though they never found him. Lucky for them, both Santiago's bought the story, though Lincoln had to have his sisters reapply his 'injuries' every day for the next few days to make the story work. He felt stupid about it, but knew it was important to keep their identities secret, so he went on with it with only minimal complaining.

Lori was just considering how she was going to make it up to her brother for putting up with that when she heard the alarm go off. A crime in progress. She frantically typed on the keyboard, bringing up the alert: robbery at the First National Bank. "All available League members." She called through a mic. "Bank robbery in progress. First National Bank."

"Roger that. Grappler and I are on the way." Iron Chef responded.

"Fashion Plate and I will be there shortly." LISA also reply.

"Be careful out there...if it's that guy again, he's tricky."

As she feared, it was indeed the same alcoholic criminal from Flip's. He had already disabled the bank guards with his liquored up fighting style, and the cameras with some stones from his pocket. Now he was having the tellers empty their cash drawers into a sack. "Thash it...nice and easy…" He slurred with a smirk. "Just fill 'er up and no one gess hurt…"

"That's debatable." Grappler said as she and her father burst into the bank, with LISA and Fashion Plate right behind them.

"You there. Drop the bag and surrender now." The iron clad father instructed.

"The namez Drunken Master...and I dun quit till I'm done…" The lush responded, not even looking at them.

"Could you be done now? Please?" Fashion Plate asked nicely, making Grappler roll her eyes.

"...well, since you asked nicely, young lady..." He said, dropping the sack of cash.

"Really?" Leni asked hopefully.

"No."

"Oh…"

"I've had just about enough of you…" Iron Chef said, storming his way toward the bank robber.

"Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do thaa, Crion Hef…" The loaded larsonist said with a smirk.

"Father, wait." The cybernetic genius tried to say, but too late. The moment he got short of arm's reach to the felon, a strong wave of intoxication came over the fire manipulating hero. He held his head as he started to reel in place.

"Dad? Are you ok?" Lynn Jr asked, uncertain what was happening.

"I...I don't know…" Iron Chef mumbled before he tried to take another step, only to collapse on the ground. It was like his legs didn't want to work for him anymore.

"Chef!" Grappler cried out, starting to see red. "Why you…!"

"Grappler, stay your hand." LISA instructed, stepping in front of her. "If you get close, the same thing may happen to you too, just like Deci-Belle and Lady Glori."

"Then how are we supposed to stop this creep!?"

"Allow me. My android body should protect me from whatever powers this miscreant possesses." She said. "LISA Mobile Droid, convert to combat mode. Codename: BRAWLER." The moment she gave the command, her mechanical body grew as tall as Leni, but bulked up as much as Grappler. Her hands were swapped out for large fists with iron plating on the knuckles.

"...cool." The super strong athlete commented with a smirk. "Now I wanna fight you in that form."

"Perhaps when we return to Headquarters." Lisa replied. Steve was getting kinda nervous now. He didn't think whatever power he had would work on someone like LISA. "Now then, Drunken Master was it? I trust you can see that conceding is the only logical option." The now Herculean synthetic being said as she cautiously approached. The drunken robber grabbed his bag of money and backed away from her, looking frantically around for an exit. He considered one of the nearby windows, but when he looked like he was going to make a move in that direction, LISA launched one of her fists right in front of him, the rocket propelled punch impacting against the floor right in front of his foot. "This is your last chance to give yourself up peacefully." She warned him, striding toward him with a stone faced look on her face. Then, she stopped, confusion washing over her face. Confusion, then terror.

"LISA?"

"W...what's going on? This...This shouldn't be possible…" The cybernetic Loud said in a voice filled with fear: VERY unusual for her. "I have no organic parts...how can I feel the effects of intoxication…?"

"That's it! He's going down!" Grappler bellowed as she surged toward Drunken Master, diving right at him. Unfortunately, he leaned back and she flew right over him and slamming head first into a wall. While she tried to pull herself free, Fashion Plate engaged the boozer. She threw a few punches and a kick or two at him, but he was far too slippery for her to connect with any strike. While futile, her assault did give Grappler a chance to get free. The muscle bound wrestler heroine growled with fury, stomping her way back into the fray. Leni was forced to back up to avoid getting hit by her own sister as she tried to punch and grab at the criminal. Her fist whistled through the air from the force of her swings, with Drunken Master leaning, swaying and side stepping her attacks. Her face was turning red as she got angrier with each whiff punch.

"Grappler, let me take a-" Fashion Plate tried to say. She wanted to give her a chance to calm down.

"Stay out of it!" Her brawly sister snapped furiously. "He's mine!" The kindly blonde mistress of disguise was taken aback. She knew her sister had a temper, but she never usually went off like this on duty. Grappler slammed her fists down against the floor with her latest miss, causing the building to shake, with a few ceiling tiles falling down. The tremors did cause the sauced thief to stumble, but it didn't throw him off his defense. It did however cause more panic among the bank employees and patrons. Unable to try and help Lynn Jr without possible getting seriously hurt, Fashion Plate goes to try and calm the public. The super strong heroine was swinging wildly and madly, in an absolute rage now.

"Uh oh...sheesh a mad drunk…" The buzzed bank robbery commented quietly as he was forced to dodge and weave faster to avoid getting reduced to pudding by her punches. "...meebee I should juss go…" He rolled away from her next rage fueled kick, which knocked a chunk off of a support column.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGH!" Grappler bellowed in unrestrained wrath as she started to smash anything she could get her hands on. She threw desks, punched the vault door several times, and tore another column out of place. The ceiling was crumbling, threatening to fall at any moment, the Drunken Master trying to slip out a side entrance. Leni spotted him, but she couldn't go after him. With the way her sister was going off, she needed to get the civilians out of there before the whole place came down. She attempted to get them to leave in an orderly manner out of the nearest exit (to only partial success. She managed to get them out, but it was far from orderly) while helping the recovering guards escape. Meanwhile, Lisa had curled up on the ground, shaking significantly, and Iron Chef was just laying on the ground, unable to focus on anything and unable to really use his legs still. However, one thing he heard was enough to sharpen his focus.

"...Daddy…I'm scared…" The android girl said, sounding like she was about to cry (despite her inability to do so). Lisa hadn't called him Daddy since her first words, much less admit she was scared. It was somewhat sobering to hear.

"LISA…?" He asked, still very out of it. "...Daddy's coming…" Unable to get up to walk, he started to crawl his way over to his petrified second youngest daughter. He had just gotten to her and pulled her into a somewhat reassuring hug when Grappler had tackled a third support beam. This was the tipping point, as the entire ceiling came down right on top of them. Fashion Plate screamed with fright and pulled out her communicator, frantically pressing buttons on it.

"Labor day! No, Arbor Day! Dang it! May day! That's it! May Day!" The hysteric teen yelled.

"Calm down, Fashion Plate. What's wrong?" Lady Glori asked.

"Dad! LISA! Grappler! The ceiling! Right on top of them!" She replied, barely coherent. Her sister got the gist however.

"I'll be right there!" The eldest Loud sister declared before communications cease. Leni couldn't wait though. She ran right to the rubble and tried to start moving the debris. However, she wasn't strong enough. Even with help from the bystanders they had just saved, it was very slow work. By the time Lady Glori flew onto the scene, the police had arrived. She paid them no mind as she effortlessly started to clear out the chunks of building from the pile until she saw the first sign of scratched metal plating. "Chef!" She doubled her efforts to get the rubbish off from on top of him, where she found him covering LISA with his own body. The titanium toddler was clinging to her father like Lily would, acting her age for the first time in...well, ever. "Are you two hurt?"

"Not seriously…" Lynn Sr replied with a groan. "My armor protected us...but it didn't do my back any favors…" LISA simply nodded with a soft whimper. Seeing her little sister like that really pulled at Lori's heart strings as she helped them both up and out of the wreckage, before returning to go look for The Grappler. Meanwhile, Fashion Plate was trying to give statement to the police.

"...He was totes all over the place. We couldn't lay a hand on him." She described, Officer Miraz taking notes. "Not from lack of trying though."

"And what happened to Iron Chef?"

"I don't know. He went to arrest the guy, but as soon as he got close, he fell down and couldn't get back up." A few of the civilians she had gotten out of the building nodded and supported her story as she continued. "LISA stepped up next, but something really scared her when she got too close to that Drunken Master guy."

"I'm noticing a pattern here…" The officer said with a frown. "Lady Glori, Deci-Belle...according to their statements, something strange happened to them when they got close to the guy too. Did anything happen to you, Fashion Plate?"

"No. At least, I don't think so...but Grappler got really, really mad…" It was at this point that Lady Glori managed to free Grappler from the debris. She still looked like she was mad as hell, but her tantrum and the effort of trying to shove the rubble off of her from a non advantageous position had wore her out enough to keep her from going on another rampage. Her increased mass was able to protect her from serious harm, her pride being the only thing injured.

"Where is he…?" She growled.

"Sorry, sis...but he got away."

"Dang it…"

"...and she did this to the bank?" The african american officer inquired, pointing to the wreckage. Leni didn't answer right away, but the saddened look on her face said enough.

"...it wasn't her fault…"

"I'm sure it wasn't, dear." Officer Miraz replied with a sympathetic expression. "But we still have to take her to the station for questioning. Don't worry, though. I'm sure it'll be alright." She added, trying to help Fashion Plate feel a little better. He then turned to approach Lady Glori. "Could you help Miss Grappler out of there and bring her down to the precinct?" Lori looked sadly down at her sister, but she couldn't really argue. Lynn did just destroy the bank in what was more or less an act of rage (not on purpose, but still), and they weren't above the law. She helped her angry younger sister up and started to fly her off as the police took the statements from the rest of the employees and bank patrons, Fashion Plate watching feeling quite downcast.

* * *

Sometime later…

"...that was positively humiliating…" Grappler groaned, her face in her hands as she sat with her family around the meeting table in their headquarters. She had returned her mass to normal at this point. Things had, thankfully, went pretty well for her all things considered. With all the testimonies from bystanders, the police were able to confirm she wasn't entirely in her right mind, and the league was able to pay for the damages to the bank. However, word of her destructive act spread fast, and the villain escaped besides. Lincoln placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"It wasn't your fault, sweetie…" Glacial Gal said, trying to console her.

"Indeed, Lynn…" Lisa agreed with a nod, though she was equally embarrassed with her overshow of emotions. "Drunken Master's unusual power has caused many of us problems...myself included…"

"How is that even possible?" Iron Chef asked, unable to wrap his head around that idea.

"And why is it affecting us and no one else?" Grappler asked as well. There was a moment of silence before Lana spoke up.

"Because we have super powers?" She suggested.

"...actually, you may be right." The mechanical four year old said after taking a moment to consider her words. "Given the suspect appears to have been empowered by the incident as much as we were, it seems highly likely that his intoxicating presence affects those who have also been empowered."

"Then why wasn't Leni going all goofy like the rest of us?" Lynn inquired, gesturing toward her older sister.

"Well, she doesn't really have super powers." Chain Linc said. "No offense, Leni."

"Why would I be offended? I love my disguise skills." She replied with her trademark smile. "I get to wear all kinds of costumes and can be anyone I want."

"An interesting theory, Lincoln, and one with merit. The incident seems to have had varying effects on all who had been blessed or cursed by it, thereby making others more or less susceptible to Drunken Master." LISA interjected. "However, I have a theory of my own. We've all known Leni has a...unique brain, shall we say."

"Aww. Thanks Lisa. Your brain is really unique too. So big."

"Thank you." Lisa replied in a deadpan manner. She knew Leni meant it to be a compliment she mistook her comment for, and didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. "As I was saying, said...uniqueness has resulted in her being resistant, perhaps impervious, to mind altering powers."

"What makes you so sure that his power is purely mind altering, little sis?" Luna inquired curiously.

"Because even I was not immune, in spite of my complete lack of an organic brain which could be hindered via intoxication." The living AI explained. "I felt it plain as day...and never wish to again…" She shuddered in horror at the memory.

"Great...so the only one who can get close enough to fight the guy is Leni…" Lori said with a sigh. "And he's too slick to be hit by normal means."

"Hmmm…" Chain Linc suddenly got a smile on his face as he looked at Fashion Plate, who was also looking rather thoughtful. "Fashion Plate, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so, Lincoln." She replied, leaning in to whisper her idea into his ear. His smile gave way to a look of complete surprise.

"Huh. Actually...yeah. That was it exactly."

"Really? Yay!" Leni chirped, running off to the exit tube leading to her room.

"...Uh...what exactly is she up to?" Lynn asked out loud with a raised eyebrow.

"Just trust her. She knows what she's doing." Lincoln said, a confident smile. All of his sisters looked at him like he had gone mad. "No. I'm serious. She's got this. We just need to wait for Drunken Master to strike again...and if he's feeling as confident and brazen as most criminals do after a success, it won't be long…"

* * *

The very next day…

"Why yes, Mr Fergs. We do have a number of brochures about the types of accounts our bank offers." The bouffant wearing brunette woman behind the teller's desk of the Fortune's 30 Bank. She handed a handful of pamphlets to Steve, dressed in business casual, with a red collared shirt and black pants. He pretended to look over them for a moment, his eyes glancing up at the security cameras arranged around the bank lobby., taking note of their locations.

"I see. Thank you, ma'am. I will seriously consider opening an account here. Just want to consider my other options in town."

"Of course, Mr Fergs. Have yourself a lovely day."

"You as well." He said before he turned to depart the bank, a squad of guards and police hanging about near the entrance. After two bank robberies in such short periods of time, they were on high alert. The not yet drunken crook wasn't deterred, however. He could handle the police and he knew it. He strolled right out of the bank and into the crowds heading up and down the streets. Hiding among the crowd, he slipped into the alley right beside the back, ducking behind a dumpster. 'Ok. Last time went a little dicey. Gonna need to be a little more careful. If Grappler is around, scram.' He thought to himself as he quickly changed into his "costume". 'This better go better than last time.' He thought as he pulled two booze bottles from his robe. 'These are my last two bottles…' He took a deep breath to steel himself for the heist before quickly downing both drinks. After a few seconds, he could feel himself become a little tipsy. Now was the time. He started his way into side entrance, willing himself to become more drunk than he actually was. He pulled the stones from his pocket, taking careful aim at the nearest camera. The moment the surveillance equipment shattered and sparked, the time for subtlety went out the door. He smashed the remaining cameras with flying rocks as he walked unsteadily into the open. "Alright everbody….thish is a shtick up." He declared, slurring his words. The guards and police reach for their weapons, but once again, they were hesitant to use them. Not only was he unarmed, but he had proven very evasive in the past. They didn't want to risk hitting any of the tellers in the crossfire.

"Guys...I have an idea." One of the bank guards said in a hushed voice. "We rush him together. No way he can dodge all of us at once."

"That's a stupid idea...let's do it." Another replied quietly. The squad of bank security and peace officers cautiously approach the loaded villain, who was standing there reeling in place. They all looked to one another, counted to three in their heads, then all charged right at the Drunken Master at one. Contrary to popular belief, however, he could dodge them all at once. When they dove at him, he rolled out of the way, causing most of them to hit their heads together and others to get buried under their fellow law keepers. The liquored up larcenist just laughed at the sight before turning his attention to the same teller who wanted on him before.

"Alright, purty miss...fill up the bag and make it snappy...got places to be." He ordered in a mutter, dropping his bag on the desk. "We don't want things ta get ugly...do we?" He asked with a sneering smirk, leaning against her desk. She sighed and simply started filling the sack full of cash. However, mid way through, she looked up and froze with an expression of complete bewilderment. "Well? What're ye waiting for?"

"I think someone spiked my coffee...there's two of you." She commented, pointing behind him. He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she may be secretly a heroine as well. He turned back to see what she was looking at, turned back around to face her, then did a rapid double take.

"What the…!?" He exclaimed, noticing another him standing right behind him. He turned quickly, faced with his exact double, now standing in the same pose as him. The two look each other from head to toe, before he held out a hand. His doppleganger also reached out, their hands touching as if there were a mirror there. "The hell is this?" He muttered to himself. He braced himself for a fight, but so did his double, the both of them swaying slightly in their faux dizzy state. Drunken Master didn't dare make a move; if this copycat could move like he did, then making the first strike would be folly. He leaned to one side, his double followed. He tried stumbling to the right, but his mirror image followed. The two started to circle each other, as if it were a wrestling match. Then, Steve smirked. "Hey, you're good…"

"Thanks."

"Aha!" He declared, throwing a surprise punch. Unfortunately, the doppelganger simply swayed to one side before countering. The boozehound bank robber easily avoided the oncoming punch, retaliating with a drunken kick. The two were too evenly matched, neither side able to gain the upper hand of the other. It was more a dance recital than a fight. "...heh. You really are good...able to follow my every move, aren'tcha?" The duplicate drunky nodded in reply. "Well, let's put that to the real test, shall we? Let's see you do this…" He suddenly runs full tilt into the nearest wall, slamming face first into into it and falling over in a daze. His twin followed suite, smashing his own face into the wall right next to where he had and falling beside him. Unlike him, however, he hardly looked fazed.

"Not bad." The double told the original. "But can you do this?" Out of nowhere, he sprang to his feet and...started dancing the Macarena. The Drunken Master was confused now. He was supposed to be the one leading this. However, he couldn't be outdone, so he imitated his twin's leap to return unsteadily to his feet and started to copy his dance.

"Child's play...but let's see you do….this." He grabbed a snowglobe from the nearest teller's desk and smashed it on his head, leaving him wet and kind of bleeding from the sight of impact. The other DM grabbed a vase, unable to find a snowglobe nearby, and broke it over his own head. That seemed to make him even more disoriented, which make the loaded criminal smirk.

"Ok...ok...but I bet you can't follow this…" The duplicate started to walk around with his hands behind his back, leaning forward like a caricature of Groucho Marx.

"What is this? Amataur hour?" The Drunken Master inquired, clearly insulted. However, he still followed along, walking the exact same as his mirror image. They circled each other again for a few seconds before the double started walking backwards away from the hard drinking bank robber. Not to be outdone, Drunken Master did the same, feeling more and more confident. He wasn't feeling too confident, however, when several pairs of hands grabbed his arms and his wrists were locked into handcuffs. "Wha!?" He turned his head and found he had just backed up right into the waiting arms of the police. It was then the double reached up and pulled off his face, revealing it was Fashion Plate the whole time.

"Gotcha!" She chirped. You could have knocked the police and the Drunken Master down with a feather at that point.

"Y...You? But...how could you move...just like me?"

"I'm a master of disguise. That includes being able to impersonate the person I'm disguised as." She explained, trying to imitate his wobbly stance, but nearly falling down, holding her head. "Ow...that vase hurt…"

"But what made you decide to disguise yourself as the criminal?" One of the arresting officers inquired.

"Well, after my family and I realized I was the only one who could really get close enough to him to fight him, but I couldn't touch him, I started to think: who would be able to beat him?" Fashion Plate started to explain, one of the bank employees using the ice from his iced tea to make an ice pack for her head. "Thanks. Anyway, I couldn't think of anyone who could. He was too tricky. The only way he could be beat is if he beat himself...and that's what gave me the idea." Drunken Master just blinked at her for a moment, then he started to laugh. A stupid, drunken laugh.

"Well, look at me...finally taken down...by the weakest superhero in town...shucks to be me…" He slurred with a smirk. "...but it'sh a fair cop...ok, occifers...take me away…"

"Good work, Fashion Plate. We'll take it from here." The fashion forward heroine was told as the bank robbing boozer was finally taken away.

"Hey...who's up fer a shong?" Drunken Master asked as he was forced into a police cruiser. "How dry I am…..How dry I am…."

* * *

Over at the precinct jail, Lord Tetherby was stewing in his cell, grumbling to himself as he sat with his rounded head on his hands. "Ok, so the check hasn't cleared yet...I'm Lord Tetherby. I'm good for it…" He said. "This is all those so called 'heroes' fault…"

"Tell me about it…" Linebacker said from the cell next to him. The portly businessman blinked and walked over to the cell door to see who had spoken. "I mean, we were just having some chocolate...those dumb heroes didn't need to make a federal case out of it…" It was then Tetherby realized who he was talking to; the two candy thieves who the League had defeated some time back.

"What are you boys doing here?" He asked. "Surely simple theft isn't worth these accommodations?"

"Theft and destruction of property…" The burly brute corrected him. "And they're keeping us until the new super prison is open in a few days…"

"Unless we can pay the bail...which we can't…" Quarterback moaned, sounding like he and Linebacker were sharing a cell. "Our folks are gonna have our heads for this…"

"Hmmmmm. Gentlemen…"

"Where?" Hawk asked, looking around to see who Lord Tetherby was speaking to.

"Ahem..I was referring to you and your associate...anyway, I'd like to make you a little deal." Hank moved over to the cell bars for a listen to the offer. "I'll pay your bail and I'll smooth things over with your parents...in return, you boys will work for me."

"What do you think, buddy?" Hawk asked of his friend.

"Seems like a pretty sweet deal to me...but what would we have to do?"

"Oh, you know. Delivering correspondence around the office. Helping with inventory deliveries...dealing with certain pests." He said with a wink, not wishing to tip off any nearby security officers. It took a few seconds for the dim witted punks to get it, but once they did, they grinned maliciously.

"I think we'll take you up on that offer, dude...er...mister." Linebacker corrected himself quickly.

"Call me Lord Tetherby, boys. I have a phone call coming to me in a few minutes; business reasons and all that. I will be sure to inform my accountant to cut another check for your bail. We can work out the specifics once we are all out…"

"Excellent!" The two bruisers exclaimed. At this point, the cops were bringing Drunken Master into the cell block, putting him in the cell across from the Hazeltuckey goons.

"Hey there. What're you in for?" Quarterback asked him.

"Bank robbererery…." Steve Fergs replied drunkenly, a smirk on his face.

"Hero's League?" Linebacker inquired.

"Yep...really set me back...but I'll be back out soon enough…" He replied without a care in the world. "Hey...up for a shing along?" He asked the two across from him, the two of them starting to feel pretty tipsy by being so near him.

"Why not?" They responded. "Gotta pass the time somehow…"

"How dry I am! How dry I am!" The three of them started singing loudly and joyfully. "Noooobody knows, how dry I am!" Lord Tetherby winced and covered his ears with his hand as he returned to his bed.

"Something tells me I made a big mistake…" He grumbled to himself.

* * *

_AN: Steve Fergs is known as the Drunken Master. His powers are active only once he has started to feel the affects of intoxication. Once drunk, he can control just how much he feels it, allowing him to keep a clear mind even while completely wasted. He also becomes a sort of idiot savant when it comes to breaking and entering, able to get through locks without trouble. His drunken style of fighting makes him a very difficult opponent to fight in hand to hand combat, and dangerous to try and shoot at from a distance. His most powerful ability, however, is his drunken aura. Individuals granted powers by the incident who get too close to him start to feel like they had one too many themselves, the intensity varying depending on how much power they actually have and the effect varying depending on the person (ie Deci-Belle being a happy drunk, Grappler an angry drunk with her temper, and LISA becoming more emotional). This effect is only a simulated feeling of drunkeness and will fade with time after leaving the aura with no further negative effects (except perhaps for hazy memories of being under the simulated influence). All he really wants is to live the soft life, where he can do nothing but drink all day without having to worry about anything._

_And before anyone asks about Fashion Plate's immunity, it's kind of a column a, column b thing. Yes, she has been affected the least by the incident, but she does possess a mind that is naturally resistant to mental invasions. _


	6. Chapter 6: Some Enchanted Evening

_Hello everyone._

_Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. Unlike Lincoln Loud and The Ghoul School, I don't really have a set time line for how things will progress with this story, outside of a few big arcs. Ergo, part of the problem is deciding which hero and/or villain should take the spotlight at what point, while giving as many as I can their chance to shine. I mean, I had ideas for a chapter centered around The QuizMaster and one featuring the return of the Den of Vipers after their defeat in chapter one, but it seemed too soon to use them. Doesn't help that I've been pretty busy lately, and a bit more focused on other stories. But never the less, I have no intention of stopping this or any of my stories until I feel there are no more stories to tell. Before I get to the story itself, let me just address some questions and concerns._

_First and foremost: To the guest who scolded me for making alcoholism a joke, I assure you that was not my intention. If that is how you perceived it, I apologize...though you might not see this if you really did stop reading this story as a result. Well, either way, I am sorry. I never intended to offend anyone._

_Second: Regarding Drunken Masters' powers, I do see your point. Honestly, I had a feeling something like this would happen, though I expected it to be much worse. At any rate, I agree it couldn't hurt to rename his powers somewhat to make it less obvious that he makes super powered individuals experience simulated intoxication...though I'm not sure if I am going to use him again. Can't really think of another story for him as a solo villain (and no, that is not a request for suggestions), and in a group of villains, he'd be just as much of a hinderance to them as he is to the heroes. So odds are, he'll probably chill in the background for the rest of the story unless I think of something._

_Third: On a similar vein, yeah...I was pretty lazy with the name, but just couldn't think of anything else. If he does appear again, I will have him called by a slightly different name. I don't plan to alter the original story, however, because I have enough on my plate as it is._

_Fourth: To the guest who keeps sending suggestions for hero characters from the show's canon: I appreciate the thought, but as it stands, I already have a massive cast of heroes and villains to get through, both OCs and canon characters, and I am having a hard enough time deciding when to introduce who and whatnot._

_That covers the major ones I wanted to go over, but I'm not quite done. As long as I'm here, may as well go over all the comments with questions._

_Fifth (Owldusk): No, he isn't a hero hater, per se. He just objected to super powered individuals (and kids no less) interfereing with a police investigation. He doesn't mind them helping with dangerous jobs, but investigating crime scenes is the police's job in his opinion. May see more of him later._

_Sixth (Imagaco): Yes. No hangovers. I thought if he simulated a hangover too, that would make him even more overpowered._

_I think that will do for now. Enjoy the chapter and may good fortune shine on you all until we meet again._

* * *

Some Enchanting Evening

Tiana's. The premiere jewelry store at the Royal Woods Malls. Many an engagement ring, birthday surprise necklaces, and apology bracelets were sold at this location. It was the place to be to get precious gems in precious metals. And that was exactly what brought a certain young lady to this store. However, she wasn't there to buy. She was there to help herself. She was rather young for a thief, a girl with curly brown hair wearing a fancy dark purple and lavender gown, black flats, and a pale light purple cape with a hood. On her head was a crested platinum tiara with a sapphire embedded right in the center. She was emptying a display of diamond and ruby rings, the store security and employees standing around in a daze. She had just finished admiring a sizable amethyst within a silver necklace when she heard a voice behind her. "Drop the jewelry and keep your hands where I can see them, young lady!" She froze in place before slowly turning back to see Glacial Gal standing at the entrance, hands on her hips and a stern look on her face.

"Whoa...ok, ma'am. Stay cool. I don't want any trouble." She responded, keeping her hands up and slowly turning around. She still had the loot sack in her hand.

"Very good. Now, put the bag down nice and easy, Miss…?" Glacial Gal said calmly, starting to cautiously approach the girl.

"The name is Incanta." She replied. "And you...you require no introduction. The legendary Glacial Gal."

"Thank you, but flattery will get you nowhere with me." Rita told her. "I'll only ask this one more time. Put the bag on the ground and give yourself up, and perhaps you'll be able to get off with just a…" The moment the Loud mother got close to the young lady, she suddenly faded from sight. Glacial Gal blinked in surprise, then turned when she heard running footsteps moving quickly away from her. Incanta was fleeing down the way, headed for the escalators. "...warning." She finished her previous sentence before she tried to jet after her. However, when she moved, she ended up tripping and falling forward. Her boot laces had been tied together in a manner that resembled the Gordian Knot. "Oh for the love of…" She grumbled before pulling out her communicator. "The suspect is fleeing from Tiana's, headed for the Classy's side escalator."

"On it, G Gal." Lynn Jr responded.

"On the way." April Fool answered. With that taken care of, the frigid speedster now had to deal with the impossibly complicated knot that was her bootlaces. Incant, meanwhile, was about halfway to the escalators, feeling pretty confident. Before she could reach the moving stairs, The Grappler sprang up from the lower level and landed right in front of her, cracking the floor slightly.

"Ah ah ah. You aren't going this way." She taunted, towering over the little villain.

"You really think so?" She replied with a light grin.

"I know so!" Lynn said as she charged toward Incanta. Before she could tackle her, the brunette enchantress vanished in a flurry of magenta sparkles. The bulky heroine slid a few yards across the floor, groaning in frustration.

"Buh bye!" Incanta called out to her, waving as she rode the descending platform down. The moment she reached the bottom, April Fool was there to meet her, along with her living dummy, Mr Coconuts.

"Knock knock." AF said with a grin.

"Who's there?" Incanta asked warily.

"Irish stew."

"...Irish stew who?"

"Irish stew in the name of the law!" Mr Coconuts finished the joke, pointing right at her from April Fool's shoulder. The toony heroine laughed, and even Incanta chuckled a little.

"Nice one." The jewel thief commented. "I got one for you now." She added, getting the super comedianne's attention. "How do you keep a pack of fools in suspense?"

"Hmmmm…" Luan thought for a moment before shrugging. "I give up. How?" Incanta just stood there with a smirk on her face, not saying anything.

"Come on, kid. Finish the joke." Mr Coconuts said, on the edge of his seat. She still doesn't respond, looking over her grape colored fingernails.

"Don't leave us hanging. Tell us!" April Fool said, eager to hear the punchline. "You can't just deliver the straight line and leave out the punch line." Instead of answering, she simply stepped to one side. Grappler slammed into the ground where she used to be, having attempted to tackle her by surprise, and ended up rolling into April Fool and Mr Coconuts, the three of them crashing right into a display of hats just inside Classy's. Incanta smirked as she ran toward the other end of the mall. April Fool popped out of the pile of hats wearing a southern belle hat with a frown. Then, realization hit her. "Ooooh! I get it! Hahahaha!"

"Ok. Slight hiccup there." The curly haired caster said quietly to herself. "But should be smooth sailing now." Up ahead, a dark cloud of smoke appeared from nowhere, forcing Incanta to stop in her tracks. "...on second thought, man the lifeboats…" she groan as a portal opened amidst the smoke and The Mystic Mortician emerged, scythe in hand.

"Surrender now, or prepared to face the darkness." She warned in a deadpan tone. Incanta didn't respond. In fact, she scarcely moved. Lucy scowled deeply, then swung her scythe to her left. The blade planted into the ground right in front of the purple garbed young lady who just reappeared, a shocked look on her face, her double vanishing from where she originated. "I can sense magic. Illusions won't fool me." Mystic Mortician told her. Since evasion was no longer an option, Incanta was forced to resort to force. She faced the gothic heroine, the gem on her crown glowing. She unleashed a beam of violet magical energy upon the morbidly magical girl. Moving quick, Lucy pulled her scythe back to her and blocked the blast with the handle.

"Klatu barada niktu!" Mystic Mortician exclaimed, a shadowy pool appearing underneath Incanta. Long, black tendrils sprang up from it, reaching toward the young enchantress. Before they could reach her, however, she blinked out of place and reappeared a few feet out of their range.

"Nice try." The villainous spellcaster said, focusing her magic through her gem. "But not nice enough!" Fire little magenta sparks started to appear around her head. With a flick of her finger, the little fiery orbs of magic flew right at Mystic. She retaliated by creating a skull shaped shield in front of herself. THe sparks struck the barrier and burst like fireworks, sending reddish embers to the ground with start to ignite into more fires on the floor.

"Gasp…"

"Oops!" Incanta exclaimed before she ran over to help Lucy stamp out these magical flames. She may have been a criminal, but she didn't want to cause too much damage in the process.

"That was close." Lucy commented, wiping the nervous sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah...that was not intentional." Incanta admitted, breathing a sigh of relief. The two empowered casters looked at one another for a moment before they sprang back from each other and started throwing magic bolts at one another. Mystic's magical scythe was easily able to block and dispel Incanta's assault, while she was able to avoid the dark magical heroine's spells. They seemed evenly matched, but the lavender garbed thief knew she had to end this soon. The gem in her tiara was losing its color and fast. So, after she blasted a smoky skull flying in her direction and kicked up a cloud of smoke from it, she raised her hands. "Alright. I give, Mystic" She suddenly declared. Lucy frowned as she sent the smoke away with a wave of her hand.

"Do you now?" Mystic Mortician inquired with a disbelieving tone. "Then put the bag down…"

"Of course." Incanta said, starting to lower her loot sack before hurling it into Lucy's face. In the brief moment that the dark magic empowered Loud was distracted by jewelry and burlap in the face, the villainous caster launched a blast of magic at her. Mystic Mortician was struck in the chest, thrown backwards right into a store called 'The Sweetie Pies Emporium', the bleak sorceress falling right into a display of cuddly pink pajamas. "Changed my mind!" She yelled as a final shot before she made a run for it. Meanwhile, Lucy emerged from the stack of clothing, looking sick to her stomach.

"...I hate pink…" She groaned.

'Well, that could have gone better…' Incanta thought to herself before she pulled the necklace with the amethyst from her cape, smiling at it. '...but at least I have this for a consolation prize.' She mentally added before she stowed the last of her loot down the front of her gown. She could see the exit up ahead. She was home free...or so she thought. The moment she got close to the glass doors, a pair of large, heavy chains sprang to life and blocked them all.

"Halt!" The voice of Chain Linc commanded. Incanta spun on her heel, preparing herself for a fight. However, when the one superpowered son leapt down to the lower floor from above, she lowered her guard. Her eyes opened a little more and her cheeks turned a light tinge of red. "I don't want to hurt you, miss, so I request that you surrender peacefully." He said, trying to sound tougher than he actually was.

"Whatever you say." She said in a dreamy sort of voice, raising her hands.

'Really?' Lincoln thought to himself as he cautiously approached Incanta. She offered no resistance as he bound her hands behind her back with some chains. It was around this time his mother and sisters arrived on the scene.

"Hey, you caught her." Grappler commented, a smile on her face, but a hint of annoyance on her face.

"Excellent work, Chain Linc." Glacial Gal complimented him, patting him on the back. "Were you able to seize the stolen jewelry?"

"I have it here…" A sickly looking Mystic Mortician said, slowly approaching the group with the bag in hand.

"Whoa...what happened to you, kid?" Mr Coconuts asked with raised eyebrows. "You smell Grappler's sock or something?"

"Shut it, Coconuts." The bulked up sister growled.

"I fell into a pile of pink…" Lucy groaned as she handed the sack over. Glacial Gal took a look inside, taking note of what was inside.

"It looks like there's something missing." She said with a frown. "An amethyst necklace."

"Now where do you suppose that is?" Chain Linc said, glancing at Incanta with suspicion.

"Search me." She replied in the fakest innocent tone..

"If you insist." The metal clad young hero said, starting to pat her down from behind. While he was frisking her, she suddenly got a sly look on her face as she made a half hearted attempt to get away from him.

"Oh no you don't." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her in place while he continued to search her. She had a satisfied smile on her face, though her blush was deeper.

"Hmmm. Do you work out?" She asked him in a soft tone.

"Huh? Oh...well, not really." He admitted, trying to keep focused on his work. "...but swinging across town has done wonders for my upper body strength."

"I can tell." She replied in a flirty voice. Lincoln didn't quite catch her flirtatious attempt, but his sisters didn't. April Fool leaned over to Grappler to whisper to her.

"You hear that?" She muttered quietly with a grin.

"Yeah. She's totally into him." Lynn responded under her breath.

"She's pretty cute too." The family joker added. "If he and Ronnie Anne are really 'just friends', she might be a good choice."

"Guys...she's a criminal." Lucy growled to them. "And Chain Linc is a hero."

"So?" Grappler inquired in a devil may care manner. "Have you seen Linc's comics? Heroes and villains get together all the time."

"Yeah. This one guy in the bat suit...he's dated all kinds of his female villains." Luan added as evidence.

"...doesn't make it a good idea." Mystic Mortician grumbled, focusing on keeping an eye on Incanta. After about a minute, Lincoln found something solid around her stomach area.

"Aha. There is it." He declared, then came to a realization. He didn't have any method of getting at it, except...he glanced at the neckline of her gown, gulped, then looked her in the face. She had a smug look on her face that seemed to say 'What're you going to do about THAT, huh?' "Uh…er…April Fool, mind taking over?" He asked nervously.

"Sure, bro." She said, cracking her fingers as she stepped forward. The magical thief blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Now wait a minute!" She objected, but too late. Luan had picked her up and turned her upside down. A little bit of shaking and the necklace fell right out into Chain Linc's hand.

"Thanks, April Fool." He said, the toony heroine putting Incanta down on her feet, the villainess looking very upset about the whole thing.

"Well, that covers that." Glacial Gal said with a small smile. "Now we just need to-" She started to say, but when she turned to Incanta, all there was was a flurry of sparkles. To their surprise, she was outside the chained up doors, freeing her hands from the binds Chain Linc wrapped around her wrists.

"It's been a magical experience, heroes." She said, dropping the chain on the ground. "But I must run. Ta ta." She looked especially to Chain Linc and gave him a wink before she ran off. Grappler ran to the door and ripped the chains off, but Incanta was long gone.

* * *

Moments later...

'Well, that was a disaster…' Incanta thought sourly as she ducked from bush to bush, headed for where her house resided in the Royal Woods suburbs. 'Not a single gemstone, and I got the attention of the Heroes League…' She parked herself in a hedge between her house and the next door neighbor's, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear. As soon as she was sure it was safe, she blinked her way right into her room. Her room was decorated with yellow wallpaper, along with a few posters of KPop bands she was fond of, and one or two action movie series she enjoyed. Her bed was close to a corner near a window, covered with a soft tan comforter. Beside her bed, nestled in the corner, was a nightstand with a reading light setting upon it. Opposite her bed was an old television sitting on her pine dresser. Beside the dresser was a door leading to her closet. "Well, at least I'm home…" She said to herself as she pulled off her hood. Her name as a villain was Incanta, but her true name was Christina. She sighed as she pulled off her circlet, looking at the grayed out gem on the forehead. "Out of juice…" She commented before she pulled the useless gem from the crown and tossed it into the nearest garbage can. She then started digging around in her dresser until she pulled out an old earring with an emerald earring.

"My last jewel…" She said, pulling the gem out of the earring and setting it into the tiara. "It sucks that I have to steal if I going to maintain my magic...but I cannot afford it on my allowance, and going the path of the crimefighter doesn't pay the bills…" She lamented as she stashed her crown and started to change out of her gown. "...makes me wonder how the league manages it…" With the thought of the league coming to her mind, she thought of her encounter with Chain Linc, a blush coming to her face. "...well, maybe this operation wasn't all bad. I wonder if I could meet him again...without breaking the law again, I mean…"

* * *

"Wait...are you guys serious?" Lincoln asked as soon as he, Lynn, Luan, and Lucy returned to headquarters (Rita having gotten there a few minutes ahead of them). While they were on their way back home, Grappler and April Fool had both revealed their personal beliefs that Incanta was flirting with him.

"Don't tell me you didn't see it." Lynn said with a scoffing laugh. "You aren't that oblivious."

"Trust us, Lincoln. We can tell when a girl is interested; and she is VERY interested in you." The family comedian added, nudging him with a grin. "Surrendering only to you…"

"Suggesting you search her." The sporty teen continued.

"And tricking you into holding onto her while you did." Luan finished. "You're in like Flynn."

"Would you two stop that?" Lucy interjected, sounding irritated. "You should not be encouraging this."

"Lighten up, Luce." Her muscle bound roommate said with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, she's cute and she's super into Lincoln. How many girls do you know are interested in him?"

"Hey…" The steel coil wielding hero said, offended.

"First, she's interested in Chain Linc." Mystic Mortician countered before magically changing out of her costume. "Not Lincoln...no offense intended, big brother. And second, she's a criminal. Attempted robbery is still a crime."

"She does have a point, guys…" Chain Linc interjected, in an attempt to cease their arguing. "She is a criminal, yes...but as far as we know, it could be her first crime. Perhaps there is a chance to reform her." He said as he removed his helmet.

"And who better to do that than our charming brother?" Luan said with a grin as she put her arm around Lincoln's shoulders. The white haired boy blushed a bit, chuckling. Lucy sighed and walked away from the conversation, annoyed.

'To be fair with her, though, she was concerned with not causing excess collateral damage.' The magical eight year old thought. 'Maybe there is a chance things could work out...but just to be sure…' She made her way to the main computer, looking for LISA. However, Iron Chef was there working the monitor instead.

"Hey, Lucy. Everything go well?" The iron clad fire manipulator inquired.

"We stopped the crime and retrieved the stolen items, but the suspect escaped." Lucy admitted sadly.

"Well, you still stopped the crime. That's a win in our book."

"I guess...Where is LISA?"

"She and Lana are going to inspect the new super villain prison before it opens officially..."

* * *

Several miles away, a new building in the middle of nowhere (well, more accurately, between Royal Woods and Great Lakes City) was nearing completion. It looked like a cross between a medieval castle and something from an alien civilization. The building itself was dome like and made of concrete, topped with a tower shaped similarly to the Space Needle, and positively gigantic. Around the main building were towering walls, made of reinforced concrete and plated with smooth, slick steel. Gates were set up at the front and back, flanked by guard towers. Set up at each tower by the gates and to the left and right of the structure were dual barrel turrets, with small glass sections along the barrels. Miss Fix It was working on one such turret was LISA was working on a few computers up in the center spire, flanked by two familiar looking scientists and backed by a muscle bound man in a business suit, with bushy white hair and a slick, thick mustache. "Security system check complete. All systems are go." The android girl declared with a smile.

"Security cameras online…" Marie stated, checking the expansive system of cameras on three different monitors. "...and working like a charm."

"Sound systems primed and functional." Fortesque commented. "And communication channels between the lower section's security station, the front and back gate, and with the east and west guard towers are open."

"And the turrets are all set up." Lana told them proudly as she flew up to the tower on her hovering disc. "Each one is outfitted with a bunch of non-lethal options: shock, freeze and capture nets."

"Excellent work, Fix It." LISA complimented her sister with a nod. "Currently, each gun needs to be manned, but over time, we hope to have the option for automating them established."

"I've got to hand it to you kids." The muscular man said, patting LISA on the head. "You did an incredible job helping us get the Michigan Supervillain Stronghold."

"Thank you, Warden Fallans." The robotic toddler replied, turning to face him. "I admit I am feeling pretty good about this. With all the security and pacification methods in place, escape should be nigh impossible, even for those of the super powered persuasion." Lisa's eyes turned green, showing a 3d rendering of the stronghold's blueprints; it showed an upper level, where the main building itself was, a sprawling underground lower lower, and a few rooms even further below them. "As you can see, the prison is separated into three main sections. The base level is where the prisoners are processed, the exercise yard, basic amenities for sustenance and hygiene and, of course, holding cells for those of less dangerous powers; such as those relying exclusively on gadgets and tools. The lower levels have similar amenities, but instead has an indoor gym. The cells here will be for higher risk criminals: super strong villains, those capable of flight, etc. And of course, further below that will house the most high risk threats, solitary confinement, as well as a separate room for holding Mr Fergs, just in case he somehow get some alcohol in his system inside the prison walls. Well away from his fellow super powered inmates."

"Sounds like you've thought about just everything."

"Almost. We do need to consider the incarceration of the magically inclined." LISA said as she turned off the hologram. "As it stands, we don't have many contingencies for preventing them from using their arcane powers."

"One step at a time, little miss." Mr Fallans said. "We can consult a few magical heroes for their advice on the matter. We'll make it work."

"Indeed." The young synthetic automaton replied before checking a watch like device on her wrist. "I believe that will do for the inspection. If you will excuse us, sir."

"Of course. Keep up the fine work, you two."

"We shall. Good day, sir." Lisa responded before she opened the nearest window. "And thank you, Miss Marie, Mr Fortesque, for your aid."

"You're welcome, Miss Synthetic Automaton." Fortesque responded. "And actually, we should be thanking you for giving us this chance…after what happened."

"You, of all of in Tetherby's employ, were among the few to show regret for what transpired, as well as the only two seeking to make amends however way they can. My family and I feel such warrants a chance for redemption." The young genius explained to them. 'Though it doesn't hurt that I could see everything they were doing on the computers with but a thought.' She thought to herself. She was willing to give a second chance, but why take risks? Lisa leapt out the window, kicking on her feet thrusters and flying off with Miss Fix It.

"You think that place will keep supervillains at bay?" Lana asked, looking toward the robotic Lisa.

"Statistically, it seems highly probably." She replied in a deadpan manner.

"Here's hoping...so, are we headed right for home?"

"Not quite. We need to make a slight detour to Flip's." LISA said, turning toward the gas station.

"Flip's? Why?" The mechanical genius of the team asked.

"Do you remember that little project of ours?" The four year old Loud asked her older sister, the tomboy nodding. "Well, we may be able to get the final piece of it from him."

"Really!? We'll be able to finish it!?" Miss Fix It exclaimed excitedly.

"Very possibly." Lisa told her with a bit of a smile on her face. She herself was looking forward to finishing this very project. It should make things much easier for the league. As they soared through the sky, Lisa's android form changed into something looking more grown up. It took them nearly an hour to get back to Royal Woods, where they quickly landed in front of Flip's store.

"Welcome to Flip's. What can I-" The less than reputable business owner paused in the middle of his welcome spiel when he saw LISA and Miss Fix It enter the store. "Whoa...hold on! I haven't done any-"

"Relax, Flip. We're here on business." The Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton explained, approaching the counter while her sister ran to the Flippy machine.

"Oh...well, in that case, what's your pleasure today, metalhead?" He asked, calming down a little and leaning against the counter.

"I noticed via your website you had somehow managed to obtain a jet engine or two." The second youngest of the Loud clan said quietly.

"...in hindsight, probably should advertise someplace more private…" Flip grumbled to himself.

"You get what you pay for, Flip. But I digress. I would like to have a closer look at these engines, along with Miss Fix it."

"Well, fer obvious reasons, I don't have them on site...but I do have video surveillance on them." He said, pulling a tablet from under the counter. After she filled a cup full of green Flippy, Lana ran over to see the engines for herself.

"Whoa! They're so big…" The family handywoman said in awe.

"Quite...but what we need to know is if they are functional." Lisa commented, her eyes turning red as she took control of Flip's cameras. Using them, she was able to use them as her own eyes, with Miss Fix It able to see what she saw with the tablet.

"I see some scratches and dents on the outside, but nothing serious." The tool savvy twin commented as she critiqued the outside of the engines. "LISA, can you get a look at the front or back?"

"We shall see." The view changed a view of the front, slightly to the left side. She could barely see the inside, but she saw enough.

"I think the fan blade there is kind of bent…" Miss Fix It said, squinting her eyes as she looked closer.

"Good eye, Miss Fix It." Lisa commented as the view changed to the rear of the engine. Again, it wasn't a direct line of sight. "...and I think there is something missing from the nozzle in the back of this one...hard to say from this angle."

"Alright alright! You want em or not!?" Flip snapped impatiently. The two girls glare at him for a moment, then got into a two person huddle.

"What do you think, Leese?" Lana whispered.

"Well, from my view of the cameras, the dimensions of the engines are just about perfect." She said under her breath. "And even with the age of them, they should have enough horsepower. The question is do you think you could fix the problems we can see, and any we cannot?"

"Without question." The six year old said with confidence.

"How much were you looking to get for them, Flip?"

"Oh...I was thinking...about three quarters a mil?" He asked with a grin. LISA just looked at him with an unamused look.

"I'll give you four hundred thousand for both of them." She replied firmly. The short, tubby man leered at her for a moment, but sighed in a way that suggested he was going to relent. "Plus the price of the Flippy, of course." She added, glancing at her sister as she sipped her frosty drink.

"...alright...how are you gonna bring these things home, robobrat?"

"I will throw in an additional fifty thousand if you can bring them to these coordinates and leave them there." She said, handing him a slip of papers of very specific coordinates in Royal Woods.

"...make it seventy five thousand." He retorted, looking at the paper.

"Deal." The android Loud replied. After all, he didn't get quite what he expected for the engines, and it was an unusual request. She was, if nothing else, fair. "The money has been transferred."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Flip told her dully as she coldly turned her back on him.

"See ya Flip." Miss Fix It called out as she ran after LISA.

"See ya, Fixy Kid."

* * *

Back at League HQ, an hour prior to this…

"I see...I was hoping she could help me get in touch with one of our more arcane adept associates." The raven haired little girl said glumly.

"Sorry, sweetie, but the only ones I know of aren't even in the country at the moment…" Iron Chef informed her, apologetically.

"It's alright, Dad. I have other ways of finding out what I need to know…" She said as she started to head to the zip tube leading to her room. 'Even if I don't like the idea…' She rode the tube back up and, thankfully, found her room empty. She locked the door and then sat down cross legged in the middle of the room. She hummed as she seemed to enter a meditative state. The room around her started to fill with a black smoke. She frowned, her scythe appearing in her hands. She felt a dark presence in the room.

"Well well...if it isn't my most eager little student." A chilling voice said. Lucy turned quickly, seeing a pale faced man with one red eye and one glass eye, spidery black hair, and the pointed chin. He was quite tall, and gaunt; practically a skeleton. He was wearing a pitch black suit with a hellish red shirt underneath, a tie that looked like it was made of snakeskin, and a black hat that looked like it had just come off the head of a plague doctor.

"...Master Necromos." She responded, curtly yet politely, her grip tightening on her weapon. The creepy man just chuckled at the tension as he started to slowly walk around her in a circle, his hands behind his back.

"It's been a while since we last spoke. I was fearing we were growing distant, Miss Mortician." He said in a taunting tone.

"I needed to ask you something regarding magic." She said cautiously.

"Is that so? What is that? Are you having...troubles?" He asked with a sinister snicker.

"No. It's not me. I wish information regarding the magic of another." She said, glaring at him. The magical master paused, his eyes still locked on Lucy.

"Go on…"

"She seems to channel her magic through a gem on her crown." Lucy started to explain, not taking her eyes off her teacher of magic. "And I noticed the gem was starting to fade of color mid battle."

"Hmmm. Yes. I am familiar with this." He said with a nod of his head, his stick like finger on his chin as he feigned deep thought. There was a moment of silence between them as the two locked eyes, a smirk on his face and a frown on Lucy's.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Could you tell me...please?" The goth little girl said, sounding like saying that pained her greatly.

"Well, I suppose I could...for a price."

"Should have known…" She growled. "...what do you want?"

"Simply a little favor. A passing of a message is all." He told her in a calm voice. She, naturally, didn't trust him. There had to be something more to it. However, she needed this information and, at the moment, there was no one else she could ask.

"Very well...but I want the information first."

"But of course, Lucy." He said with a shrug and a creepy smile. "Now then, it sounds to me like her magic is catalyst based. Namely, it requires a catalyst in order to function. In this particular case, a gemstone." He started to explain, now actually looking pensive. "Very common, actually, though it typically involves a specially prepared item, like a staff or an artifact of some kind. A jewel...that is rather unusual."

"What makes it so different?"

"Well, for starters, gems only hold a limited amount of magic naturally, and they don't recharge naturally. A prepared item is generally more reliable, but I guess we can't always choose how our magic works. Anyway, certain gems do contain more power...birthstones tend to be more powerful, for example, and unique gemstone like the Hope Diamond work especially well. Could go for years if magic was used moderately."

"That would put more reason to why she was robbing a jewelry story, beyond the monetary value…" Lucy commented, more to herself. "...she doesn't really seem old enough to have the money to buy it."

"Resorting to stealing, eh? That's a bad sign."

"Of course it is…"

"Oh no. It's worse than you think, Little Lucy. Tell me...what reason would she have to need her magic if she weren't acting the hero like you are?" The pale man asked as he fiddled with his glass eye. The magical heroine had to take a moment to consider that. What reason would she need her magic for? Self defense, maybe? She just didn't know. "It seems to me that, if she already had a gemstone, but didn't really need to use it, she wouldn't be trying to steal more...but she did. So what is she using her magic for? And why so wastefully?" Lucy felt somewhat disturbed when she heard this. Could it be the power was corrupting her? She would need to watch her closely.

"I see. Thank you, master…"

"And now for your end…" He said, a scroll appearing in a black puff of smoke in his hand. He handed the scroll to her with a crooked, toothy grin. "Give this to the Grim Reaper as soon as you can."

"The Grim Reaper?" He simply nodded, stepping back into the shadows.

"Until we meet again, Miss Mortician…" He said in a misty voice as the black smoke in the room started to spin around him before fading away along with him. All that was left to show he was even there was the scroll in Lucy's hand.

* * *

The next day, in the late afternoon, Lincoln was laying in his room, comic in hand, but he wasn't really reading it. His mind was too muddled by what his sisters had said earlier. Was it possible they were right? Incanta was interested in Chain Linc? "Nah...it couldn't be." He said to himself. "Flirting? It was just some kind of taunting to throw me off, that's all."

"Then again, what about that wink?" A voice in the back of his head intoned. "Maybe your sisters have a point. Maybe she does have her eyes on you. And she's pretty cute too."

"True…" Lincoln verbalized, putting his comic down and looking at the mirror on the dresser. "And, apart from the thievery and fighting my family, she seems like a nice enough person."

"But could you really consider possibly dating a villain?" Another, softer voice in his head asked. "I mean, if she's going to keep stealing, it's going to put a lot of strain between the two of you, since you and your family would have to stop her."

"Yeah, but what if you could get her to stop?" His reflection said, gesturing at Lincoln. "Imagine that: a new magic user in the group and a girlfriend for you."

"What about Ronnie Anne?" The second voice inquired, which made the true Lincoln blush a little.

"What about her?" The reflection asked. "She and Lincoln are just friends, after all."

"That's...true." Lincoln said out loud, his blush deepening somewhat. "And by the same token, there's no problem with giving Incanta a chance, right? Should the occasion arise?"

"Yeah."

"True enough." The two voices agreed. "Though what are the odds of that happening?" Just then, Lincoln's league communicator went off.

"Linc. Grappler here. There's a message for you on the supercomputer." Lynn said through the device.

"Oh my way down." He said before crawling under his bed.

"WELCOME BACK, LINCOLN LOUD. PLEASE STATE PASSWORD." Prompted a computerized voice.

"Ace Savvy." He said firmly and clearly. 'Should probably change the password soon.'

"PASSWORD CORRECT." The voice declared. A hatch opened under him, the young man falling through a chute, changing into his superhero outfit on the way down. By the time his boots touched the ground, he was Chain Linc once more. His sporty sister was in charge of monitor duty, surrounded by Lady Glori, April Fool, Mystic Mortician, and Tattle Tail. Chain Linc just assumed they had already opened the message and approached the console while rolling his eyes. When he reached the computer, he immediately noticed that the message was sent to the league in general, but stated his name in the intro. That made a little more sense to him as he quietly started to read the message.

To Chain Linc,

I would like a chance to talk to you, in person. Meet me at these coordinates at 5:15. Come alone.

X

I.

The location for the meeting followed the sender's signature. "Hmmm..rather brief." Lincoln commented, causing all his present sisters (minus Mystic) to jump in surprise.

"Oh...there you are, Lincoln." Lori said once she recovered from her momentary shock. "Any idea what this is about?"

"I have a suspicion…" He replied, narrowing his eyes at the I used as a signature.

"You think it's Incanta?" Lynn asked, turning in the computer seat with a grin.

"Who's Incanta?" Lola asked, giving her brother an inquisitive look.

"She's a magical girl we met the other day." April Fool explained excitedly. "And get this...she's SO into our brother!"

"Really?" Lori asked, a big smile appearing on her face. Lola squeed in glee, unable to contain herself.

"...you neglected to mention that we met her because she was robbing a jewelry store." Chain Linc interjected with his arms crossed, Lucy's mouth open to mention the same thing. Lori's smile faded as she looked to Lynn and Luan.

"Well...yeah, that was a thing, sure…" Grappler said sheepishly with a shrug.

"So what?" Tattle Tail, her hands on her hips. "Love makes anything possible."

"It's a little soon to call it love, Lo…" Lady Glori said, before he grin reappeared. "...but if she's really that into Linc…"

"This stinks of a trap." Mystic Mortician interjected in a deadpan voice.

"I agree." The white haired chain fighter said with a nod. "...but by the same token, I think she does deserve a chance at least." He added, getting a new squeal from Lola, Lynn and Luan. Lucy just sighed in frustration. "Don't worry, Lucy. I'm not about to leap in without taking the necessary precautions." He reassured her before smirking slightly. "That's Lynn's department."

"Right!" She declared proudly, until she realized what he had really said. "Hey!" She objected, getting a laugh out of everyone present.

"Hahaha. Anyway, Lady Glori, do you think you can keep an eye on things from a distance?"

"Sure thing, bro. I'll be right there." She confirmed, thinking to herself 'and giving a play by play to the others. No way will they want to miss this.' The morose little girl seemed satisfied with this, but she had a plan of action of her own. After all, she wanted to have a word with Incanta herself. This may be the ideal chance.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Chain Linc had swung himself across town, landing on top of a laundrymat, pulling out a pair of binoculars as he scanned the area. He didn't see anything untoward, so he turned his attention to the location the coordinates indicated. "...Bellitoni's Pizza?" He said quietly with a raised eyebrow. "Well, at least it's a public place." He sprang down to sidewalk and cautiously approached the pizzaria. As he approached, he could see Incanta in the front window, much to his surprise. Even more surprising was how pretty she looked to him. A touch of make up, her hair especially fluffy with her hood down, and her circlet shined up nice and pretty. He blushes and gulped a bit, sending an underhand signal to Lady Glori, high up in the sky.

"The knight has entered, meeting the lady in waiting." She said through her communicator. "Gold Eagle remaining on watch."

"Copy that, Gold Eagle. Be on guard." LISA responded. She was surrounded by the rest of her sisters, all eagerly awaiting the first bit of news. "You may be near invulnerable, but we don't know just how her magic will affect you."

"Roger that, Mastermind. Hopefully, it won't come to that. Gold Eagle out."

Back at the pizzaria, Chain Linc casually entered the building, his cheeks still kind of pink. The moment the door was opened, a little bell rang, which got the attention of the employees and the patrons, including Incanta. She spotted him and smiled at him, waving him over. The nervous young hero took a deep breath and joined her at the table. "I'm so glad you made it, Chain Linc. And on time too." She said with a bright smile.

"Er...not a problem, Incanta. So...what did you want to talk about?" He asked her, with a nervous smile.

"Why don't we talk about it over a nice soda and some pizza, hmm?" Lincoln was about to turn her offer down, but since he hadn't had dinner yet, some pizza actually sounded good. "You like pepperoni?"

"Yeah, I do." He said with a nod. Incanta turned and nodded to the employee at the counter, who nodded in return to start on their order. Chain Linc thought she must have prepared for this as she thanked the worker, then turned back to the hero across from her.

"Now, the reason I asked you here...is because I wanted to get to know you better." She explained, her arms on the table as she leaned forward a bit, giving him a winning, genuine smile.

"Really? You just wanted to get to know me?" He asked, a little confused. She simply nodded before she said:

"Yes. I admit that, after I met you at the Royal Woods Mall, you really piqued my interest." She explained to him. "So, after we parted, I told myself 'I must get to know this handsome hero better'." She smirked as she winked to him, getting another blush out of him. He needed to be careful, or else he might give away his secret identity. "So please tell me. What makes Chain Linc tick?"

"Hehehe. Well, truthfully, I'm not all that interesting." He said bashfully, which brought a giggle to Incanta's lips.

"There's no need to be modest. Come on. I'm sure you have many interesting facets about you." She said, resting her head on her hands, her elbows on the table as she looked at him, giving him her undivided attention.

"Uh...well, I read a lot of comics."

"...comics?" She replied, raising an eyebrow, her smile fading.

"What? With everything going on, they are pretty much reference material and guide books." He said.

"...yeah, I guess it would be." Incanta said as she thought more about it, giggling softly. "What else?"

"...I guess I really enjoy swinging around town." He continued, a smile starting to appear on his face. "It's just so great. Like a roller coaster ride whenever you like. Almost like flying, only you get some exercise in the process."

"It sounds fun. Perhaps you could take me for a swing sometime." The spellcasting young lady said, the two of them laughing and chuckling together. Watching from high above, Lady Glori smiled lightly, thinking the two of them were getting along well.

"Maybe." Lincoln replied, just as their pitcher of soda and pizza arrived. 'If you keep stealing, that may very well happen…' The two of them each took a slice from the pie and, after they both took a few bites, Chain Linc responded. "What about you? What are your interests?"

"Well, I enjoy listening to music. KPop especially." She said after she swallowed a bite of pizza. Just like Chain Linc, she needed to be careful with her information as well. She didn't want her family to end up getting involved because she needed to steal to maintain her power. "I have quite a collection of cds, as well as a lot of songs on my phone."

"Cool." Chain Linc commented with a smile.

"Do you like music, Chain Linc?"

"Yeah, I like listening to music every now and again." He answered. The more he looked at the young lady, the more he started to think she looked familiar. He couldn't really place where he had seen her before (minus the incident at the mall), but he knew he had. It was really bugging him, but he managed to keep the feeling underwraps. Incanta had a similar feeling, but she brushed it off as she saw him on the news in passing or something. The two continued to enjoy the pizza, soda, and each other's company for the next several minutes. The two continue to try and find some common ground on various subjects: favorite movies. Favorite classes in school (without dropping too many hints as to where and what teacher). Favorite foods. All their answers were different, though neither side hated the others choices. Then…

"Ok ok ok. How about your favorite show?" Incanta questioned, pleased to be learning so much about her super crush.

"Well, there are a couple…" Lincoln said, tapping his chin with his straw. "But Dream Boat is up in the top five." He chose the say, thinking that wouldn't give himself away. After all, only a rare few kids at school knew that about him.

"Really? I love that show!" The magical girl said excitedly. "Did you see last week's show, when…"

"...the cook got the old heave ho? Yeah. Feel kinda bad for him, but it was the captain's choice." The one son said, shaking his head slightly.

"Yeah. I thought that Stevie, the ex PI, was destined to sail off alone into the sunset."

"Tell me about it, after his major outburst. I don't think the network bleepers ever worked that hard in their lives." Both of the empowered children laughed at that. "But a part of me is glad. He was my favorite to win up to that point."

"I was more fond of that guy with the eyepatch...Jole, I think. You know, the guy who cracked all the jokes." Incanta said.

"Yeah, he was pretty cool. April Fool liked him. Pity he got thrown under the bus like that…"

"Yeah…" She replied with a sigh. She then looked back up at the chain clad hero and smiled again. She thought it was time for the burning question. "Chain Linc...can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Go ahead." He responded, dabbing some grease from his mouth with a napkin.

"I know it may be a bit quick to ask this...we only met recently...but...do you think it could work between us?" The middle Loud blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "I mean...a relationship?" His eyes widened when he heard that. He really didn't expect this, contrary to his sister's feelings on the matter. He needed to really think about this for a moment. She was rather pretty and was rather nice in person. They did seem to really get along. However, there were a few major issues on his mind: One, she was right. It was rather soon. An easy issue to resolve with some more time. Two, though he doesn't admit it a lot, he did have feelings for Ronnie Anne. Yeah, they say they're just friends, but...there was something there. Then again, he had no idea if Ronnie Anne felt the same way. Still, he couldn't quite shake it. And finally, there was the major fact that she was a thief...or at least a potential thief, since her first attempt hadn't succeeded. But either way, if she continued to use her powers for committing crimes, it would put her at direct odds with him and his family. He looked at her after her took some time to think about it, Incanta's smile fading at the serious expression on his face.

"Well, Incanta, you are right...it is pretty quick." He started, which started to give her bad feelings. "...but I think a few more meet ups like this, and it could be a distinct possibility..." She brightened up almost immediately, feeling a brief moment of relief. Then he lowered his voice. "...but there is one thing I just can't overlook…" And once more, her mood came crashing down. "I think you know what I'm talking about." He added quietly, to which she gave a sad nod. "It would certainly put a lot of strain upon us, not to mention my family…"

"Yeah...I had a feeling that would be the case." She said, slumping some in her seat. Lincoln looked away from her to look out the window, finding it difficult to look at the sadness on her face. While his attention was averted, she had gotten an idea. She had magic on her side. She could easily enchant him. She started to focus magic into her tiara jewel, but then...she hesitated. '...If I enchant him...it won't be real…' She thought to herself. 'It would just be the magic bringing him to me…' She sighed as she dispeled her own spell.

"That said...I'm not necessarily saying no."

"Huh!?" She asked in utter surprise.

"I can see you're a really nice girl, Incanta…" He told her, looking to her with a soft smile. "And what happened the other time...it was your first time, wasn't it?" She nodded in reply, as it was the truth. The jewelry store heist was her first. "So I want to give you a chance. We can try a few dates and see where that goes." He said, bringing hope back to Incanta. "But!" He held up a finger as he barked that, before talking quietly. "...no more crime." He continued in his normal voice. "...because I'm afraid that would be a deal breaker."

"I understand." She said, nodding to him and giving him a warm smile. "Thank you for giving me a chance, Chain Linc." She added before giving him a big hug across the table, getting a deep blush from the chain fighting hero and a chorus of awws from Lady Glori and the rest of the super sisters (not that they knew it). The white haired boy gave her a hug in return. With their meal finished and it getting late, Lincoln bid goodbye to Incanta shortly after, leaving enough money to cover half the tab (despite the brunette girl's insistence that wasn't necessary). She watched as he stepped out of the restaurant, flinging a chain to the sky and pulling himself up and away. Also watching the young man leave were two older ladies, who took up the seat behind theirs. As the young caster was getting ready to go, the first of the silver haired ladies leaned in closer to the other.

"I don't know about you...but I do hope the two get together." The busy body whispered to her friend across from her. The two had been listening to them as they were eating, though they couldn't hear everything that had been said.

"So do I." Her friend replied quietly as the gem based caster passed their table. "They're so cute together."

"Oh yes. And they seem like lovely young folk." The first continued as she took a sip of coffee.

"...weren't you wearing a ring earlier?" The second older lady asked, pointing to the hand one her coffee cup.

"What? Oh dear...I had it a moment ago...where could it have gone...?"

Meanwhile, out in the dark of the coming night, Incanta was walking away from the pizzeria, quickly glancing in both directions to make sure she was truly alone before opening her palm to reveal a little diamond ring in her hand. "...well, we haven't started dating yet…" she reasoned quietly to herself. "...and this will be the last time. Absolute last."

"I don't think he'll like that." came a dark voice from the alley to her right. Christina jumped and quickly hid the ring behind her back as Mystic Mortician emerged from the shadows.

"It...it's not what it looks like." She stuttered in fear.

"I'm not here to fight you, Incanta. I just wish to talk." Lucy said in her usual monotone.

"Talk? What about…?"

"I know why you are stealing jewels; you use them as catalysts for your magic."

'Give little miss dreary a cookie…' She thought in a snarky manner.

"I understand the appeal of magical power, possessing my own. However, the way you are going about keeping it is a dark, slippery slope. One that if you do not turn away from soon...there will be no turning back." The gothic spellcaster warned her.

"...I suppose you plan to turn me in now…?"

"No." Mystic Mortician admitted, much to the surprise of the brown haired enchantress. "I should...but I won't...this time."

"...why?"

"Because I can tell you're still a generally good person. Stealing aside, you've shown you care enough to not cause significant damage in during your first failed heist. Plus, I saw how you stopped yourself from casting a spell on my brother…" At this point, she revealed her scythe from the darkness, her look becoming more intense, making Incanta shiver some. "...which if you had, we'd be having a MUCH different conversation right now...but on the note of Chain Linc, I know he wants to give you a chance...it's the kind of guy he is. So, if he's willing to give you the chance, I suppose I could give you the same chance." She dismissed her weapon of choice, stepping closer to Incanta and putting a hand on her shoulder. "For your sake, as well as his, don't waste it. Return that ring you took...say you found it if you must, but do the right thing and return it." The purple clad villainess just looked into where she thought Mystic Mortician's eyes were, mouth slightly agape. Silence filled the air as the eight year old goth released her shoulder, turning her back to Incanta. "I don't want to have this conversation again, Incanta...because if you steal again...the league will come down on you. Hard." She started to return to the shadows, but paused long enough to look back. "...and make no mistake. If you break Chain Linc's heart as a result...expect no mercy." With that one last promise, Mystic Mortician faded away in the the inky blackness...or at least Christina thought so. It was impossible to tell. She just stood there on the sidewalk, looking down at the diamond ring in her hand, her mind torn as she wondered what she should do.

* * *

_AN: Christina is the magical villainess Incanta. She channels arcane energy through gems and jewels, usually embedded into her tiara, but as long as she is holding the gemstone in the open, she can use it as a catalyst. She specializes in illusions and enchantments, but can also use offense blasts as well. For quick escapes, she can blink short distances, able to blink even through walls._

_And no, for those concerned, this isn't a sign that Lincoln and Christina are going to end up a couple in this series. Simply that this is an option. Not much is set in stone presently._


	7. Chapter 7: Copy Catter Chander

_AN: Been a while for this one, but that was because I was bouncing between this and another chapter for this story, since I wasn't sure which one I wanted to do first. Eventually, I decided on this one. Once more, before we start, I'd like to answer a few questions, mostly pertaining to Incanta's powers._

_Imagaco: 1: As far as she was currently aware, gems are the only catalyst she can use. More on that later._

_2: The gems lose their color and pretty much become worthless, magically and financially._

_3: Neromos isn't the only magical teacher in the world, but he was the one who got to Lucy first. Magic is a fairly rare power in this universe, at least in the states. I'll get more into that in later chapters._

_Owl Dusk: Sorry, but I can't answer that without giving spoilers. The most I could say, I said with Imagaco's first question._

* * *

Copy Catter Chander

With the rise of so many super powered heroes and criminals appearing all over the world these days, it's left some people wondering: do I have super powers and just don't know it? In some cases, this could possibly be true. One young man in particular certainly believed it could be/hoped it could be true. His name was Chandler and, as far as he was concerned, he had super powers...he just didn't know what kind. He had been experimenting for some time since the incident. He tried lifting his father's car, couldn't even get it to budge. He couldn't run any faster than usual. He tried jumping from his second story window; that resulted in him learning he couldn't fly, wasn't invincible and invulnerable, and did not have healing powers. Fortunately, he didn't hurt himself too much. Just a few scuffs and bruises. He couldn't move things with his mind or communicate through telepathy. And his attempt to convince the local squirrels to join his crime fighting ventures made him look like he was crazy to passer bys. 'Man, this bites…' He mentally complained as he strolled along the main street sidewalk, sipping a milkshake with a sour look. 'I know I have powers. I just know it...but what is it?' He wondered, his eyes toward the concrete. He was so focused on his musings that he never noticed the blur of white and ice blue headed right for him, only shifting his focus to look at his watch, which said 2:34.

"Excuse me!" Glacial Gal said less than a second before she passed him, bumping into him by accident. He stumbled to the side, a little shaken by the brief impact.

'Hmph. Just because you have super speed doesn't mean you don't have to pay attention…' He inwardly groused. 'I ought to go after her and give her an earful for that.' He thought about it for a moment and decided why not? Might be worth a laugh trying to chase her. He took a step back before he ran off at a speed usually associated with racing motorcycles. Chandler was so surprised by this burst of speed that he wasn't ready for it, causing him to trip and fall, rolling along the sidewalk for several feet before he wound up on his back. "...I...I did it! I was right!" He exclaimed, sitting up and realizing everyone was looking at him. "...ahem. I knew my shoes were untied." He said lamely, getting everyone to look away from him, shaking their heads. He got to his feet and hurried away at a speed walk, positively giddy from his discovery. "I knew I had powers." He said quietly. "I just needed to find them. Still, I wonder why I never noticed super speed before." The brown haired boy frowned as he considered what happened differently. He glanced down at the smashed up milkshake in his hand and inspiration struck. "The shake. I drink it, I move at super speed...like a big old sugar rush." He grinned as he casually turned down an alley. Once he was out of sight, he sped off for home. He had a lot he needed to do, like prepare his costume, because tomorrow, he planned to apply for the Heroes League.

* * *

The next day...

"...so, we have a new hero in the area?" Chain Linc asked as Lady Glori carried him out to a patch of land being used to build more houses for the town. Currently, it was just a large patch of flattened dirt, ready to be paved for road and built upon. Not much to see, but it was a nice, open area, save for a little heavy machinery. Perfect for secret meetings, such as this.

"Mmhmm. We got the message late yesterday. They've recently discovered their powers and wish to join the league." Lori explained, her eyes surveying the territory from above. "Hence why we're both here. We're going to judge this newcomer and see if he's a good fit for the team."

"I'm all for expanding our numbers, but did you really need me to come too?"

"Sorry, Linc, but you are the one with the most knowledge of this superhero stuff." She reminded him.

"I get that. It's just I'm getting called pretty often, especially when I'm with my friends." He said. "I'm starting to run out of excuses to use for when I have to suddenly leave…"

* * *

Earlier, over at Clyde's House, Lincoln, Clyde, Liam, Rusty, Zach and Stella were all engaged in an intense game of Crossover Clash Ultimate Edition. The group were using their worst characters against one another, resulting in a very close matchup all the same. "Come on, Bad Dude…" The white haired boy said, sweat dripping down his brow. His digital boxer threw a powerful punch and managed to slam it right into a robotic gorilla, sending it flying from the singular platform in space that they were fighting upon. "Ha! Got you Stella!"

"Are you sure about that?" Stella asked as a jet pack appeared on the ape's back, sending it flying back to the battlefield. "Rocket Kong has excellent recovery." She informed him as Lincoln's Bad Dude was knocked back by the impact, just in time to get sent flying by a hawk punch by Rusty.

"Dang it…" Lincoln groaned in disappointment.

"Sorry, Lincoln. That was aimed at Clyde, but my timing was off." Rusty apologized, just as an energy blast from the little robot boy the african american boy was controlling knocked his character out. "Oh, come on! I don't care what you say, Clyde...Giga Boy is NOT your worst character." The frizzy haired boy complained, pouting as he was knocked out of the game. Before they could really get to arguing, the sound of a cell phone ringing filled the room. All eyes turned to Lincoln, who looked kind of annoyed.

"Excuse me a moment, guys. Need to take this. Might be Mom or Dad." Lincoln said.

"Sure thing, buddy." His best friend said as the one son went to the next room to take the call.

"So...what excuse do you think he'll use this time?" Zach whispered to his friends once he was sure Lincoln was out of earshot.

"Probably something to do with Lucy." Rusty suggested.

"Nah. He said Lucy last time." Liam commented with a shake of his head. "Gotta be Lola this time."

"You're crazy. He'll use Lori as his excuse." Rusty told them all. "It's the most obvious one."

What do you think, Clyde?" Stella asked as her Rocket Kong finally fell prey to a sword wielding elf.

"Lily needs her diaper changed." He replied with a bit of a smirk on his face.

"...that would be the dumbest excuse ever." The tallest of the boys said with a frown.

"Are you willing ta bet on that?" Liam asked him, grinning.

"Sure. Quarter each?"

"You're on." Clyde said with confidence. Just then, Lincoln returned, looking annoyed and apologetic.

"Hey guys...sorry, but I gotta go. Uh...Lily needs a diaper change and she's being real fussy." The white haired boy said somewhat lamely.

"Sure thing, buddy. Do what you gotta do." Zach said to him as Lincoln hurried out of the house.

"Dang it again!" Rusty complained, more sour now that he had to shell out 25 cents to Clyde.

"How'd you know, Clyde?" Stella wondered. She didn't pay anything, as she wasn't in the bet.

"One, I know Lincoln really well, and two, Lily was the only sister he hadn't mentioned yet. And if he picked Lily, about the only one that makes sense is she needs a diaper change." The bespectacled boy explained, almost smugly as he collected his quarters.

* * *

"Sorry again, bro, but you knew more than the rest of us what we were getting into when we took up the heroic mantle." Lady Glori said as she landed right beside a steam shovel.

"Yeah...doesn't make it any less frustrating though."

"Don't I know it." She said, patting his back gently. "Secret identities stink sometimes." Chain Linc nodded in agreement and sighed as he looked at his watch. 2:32. The new hero should be there any minute, he thought. What he didn't know was that Chandler had already arrived. He was just changing into his super costume behind a bulldozer. It was an...eye catching costume, to put it nicely. A white winter beanie with eye holes cut out, a peppermint striped shirt, red pants, chocolate colored shoes, and a cape with an insignia depicted a bag of sugar with wings, the initials SR on it. As soon as he was ready, he stepped out into the open.

"Greetings, fellow heroes." He declared loudly and ostentatiously. "I am Sugar Rush." He stood there with his fists on his hips, attempting to look bold. The armored young hero and his super powered sister simply stared at him for a moment before Lori had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud and Lincoln just stood there, mouth slightly agape.

"Uh...hello there, Sugar Rush." The one son said, somewhat awkwardly. "So...you wish to join the league?"

"Indeed I do. I feel my powers would be a nice addition to the team."

"I see...and what are your powers?"

"By consuming a simple milkshake…" Chandler started to explain, pulling a shake from behind his back. "...I can move far faster than the naked eye can follow."

'Hmmm. Super Speed. Couldn't hurt to have another speedster on the team.' Chain Linc thought.

"Pardon...my saying so…" Lady Glori said, hardly able to hold back her hysterics. "...but are you sure about that costume?"

"...it's a work in progress." Chandler said, half insulted, but half self conscious about it now.

"We can possibly fine tune that later." The chain manipulating hero said. "But before we decide anything, can we see a demonstration of your power?"

"Of course." Sugar Rush responded, his bravado returning as he took a deep drink of the chocolate shake. He then took his mark and ran off...at normal human speed. Chain Linc just blinked, the situation becoming more awkward to him. Chandler looked even more confused. "Hehehe. Must have not drank enough." He said, looking and sounding pretty embarrassed. He took another drink, nearly downing half the shake in one gulp, which gave him a nasty case of brain freeze. The result, however, was still the same. He wasn't running any faster.

"...ok, now this is getting kinda sad…" Lori whispered to her brother as Chandler tried to get his powers to work. When he had finished off his drink and still nothing had changed, Chain Linc walked up to him and pat him on the shoulder.

"Sorry, dude...but I'm afraid we're going to have to pass." He told him gently, trying to be as nice as possible.

"I don't get it…" The young man wondered as he looked at his hands, not really paying attention as Chain Linc and Lady Glori flew away. "My powers worked just fine yesterday. Why don't they work now…?" He sighed, kicking the dirt in frustration. "Now I got to walk all the way home...in this ridiculous outfit...with NOTHING to show for it…" Chandler shook his head, but realized there was nothing he could do about it except just start walking. As he stepped past a dump truck, a chain that was hanging off the back fell off from where it hung and started to follow him like a pet snake. The clatter of metal got the attention of the young man, causing him to turn around. When he didn't see anyone, he shrugged and continued on his way. Still, he heard the clattering. He turned once more and this time, he saw the metal links on the ground behind him. To his surprise, they reared up as if getting ready to strike. He quickly held his hands in front of his face to protect himself, but the attack never came. He peeked between his arms, the iron chain simply sitting there. He slowly lowered his arms, which caused the chain to lower a little. "Wait a minute…" Chandler said, carefully moving his right arm left and right, the metal links swaying with it like a charmed cobra. "...I have powers like Chain Linc." He said with a bright smile, which quickly gave way to bitter disappointment. "...I have powers like Chain Linc...of all the powers to have, it had to be one of the lamest…" He complained. "...well, beggars can't be choosers. Just gotta play the hand fate dealt me...but first, I gotta get a new costume."

* * *

The next afternoon, it was chaos on Main Street. A robot the size of a T Rex was stomping down the street. It had a dome like head, with a red slit of an optical sensor, a cylindrical body, arms and legs like steel tree trunks and fists like boulders. It didn't seem to be doing much, apart from creating potholes with each step. However, that changed when the super powered Louds arrived on the scene. The moment Lady Glori, Miss Fix It, Iron Chef and Deci Belle came into view, the steel giant seemed to go ballistic, throwing punches wherever it could see them. The mighty oldest sister and iron plated father took point, acting as tanks for the group while Lady Glori got a few punches in herself. Meanwhile, the rocking heroine employed hit and run tactics: flying in on her guitar construct, slamming into the back of it's head or body with a sonic mace, then flying away before it could retaliate. Miss Fix It, however, was flying around it, hurling magnetic force bombs onto its steel skin. So far, it seemed like a straightforward engagement. However, fate was about to throw them a curveball. A curveball in the form of a young man in a black leather jacket, chains wrapped across his chest in an X, black pants and boots, and a bike helmet modified with a tinted visor to protect his face. He had emerged from an alley between an office building and a laundromat, unbeknownst to the otherwise occupied heros. "And now comes the rise of Chain Reaction." He said quietly to himself as he hurled an iron coil around the legs of the mechanized giant, wrapping it around and around in an attempt to trip the metal menace up.

"What the? Is Chain Linc around?" Lana asked, looking around for her brother. "I thought he was uptown with Glacial Gal, Tiger Lily and TattleTail."

"He is." Iron Chef responded, trying to keep focused on holding the robot's attention.

"Then who's throwing chains around?" Miss Fix It inquired. Before she could get the answer to her question, the bot attempted to take a step in an effort to swing at Lady Glori. It effortlessly snapped the bindings around its legs, sending bits of metal everywhere, shattering windows and windshields, and putting deep dents into nearby cars.

"Oops…" The novice super said with a wince. "Ok...slight hiccup. Time for a new strategy." He said before he launched a chain up to the sky, pulling himself up toward the mechanized menace.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" Iron Chef called out, distracted by the sudden appearance of the rookie long enough to get swatted aside. The mech was ignoring Chain Reaction, but the other heroines didn't notice him either. As a result, Miss Fix It ended up placing a handful of magnetic force grenades right where he was heading. Chandler's eyes widened in terror as he realized he had no way of changing course. He closed his eyes, thinking he was in for a world of hurt. Before he impacted the concussive weapons, however, Lady Glori grabbed him mid-transit, severing the chain with a single chop before flying him out of range.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Lori scolded him angrily as she set him down on the roof of a diner.

"I was just trying to help." Chandler said through his helmet.

"I understand that, but your 'help' is going to get yourself or others hurt, or worse, if you don't know what you're doing..." She told him sternly. She would have continued, but Lana called out to her. The mighty teen turned to see her father shooting a stream of fire into the robot's chest, and Luna bombarding its back with soundwaves from her guitar. "...we'll continue this talk later." She informed him before she turned back toward the fight, flying several yards ahead of the steel menace.

"Wait!" The young man called out, reaching a hand up to hurl a chain up and swing after her. However, the chains hung limp on his arms. Instead, he found himself hovering a few inches off the roof. "Huh? I can fly now?" He asked himself, looking down at his own feet. "...I wish my powers would make up their mind…" He grumbled as he ditched the chains. "Still, at least it's a trade up." He watched as Lady Glori started taking a flying start toward the steel threat. Iron Chef and DeciBelle cleared the way as she plowed through the machine's chest, where her father had weakened it with his fire, and exited out the back where her sister had been attacking, holding a metal and glass cylinder in her hands. The robotic giant froze in place for a moment, shuddering a little before collapsing right where it stood. When Lady Glori landed, Miss Fix It flew over on her hover disc, her eyes all wide and sparkly, like Lola staring at a brand tiara.

"Dibs!" She cried out, hugging the machine's power core.

"Aww...I wanted dibs…" A soft, raspy voice said from the nearby alley.

"HAAAAAK!" Added another voice, which sounded like a cat with a hairball.

"Huh?" The mechanically savvy twin looked toward the space between two buildings, wondering what that was, but there was nothing there.

"Did you hear that?" Lori asked her, having heard the voices as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, while they were dealing with what's left of the engine of destruction, Chandler took the opportunity to fly away, figuring they had everything under control there. He decided his time would be better spent checking out uptown to see if he could help (and earn a few brownie points with) the Heroes League. As it turned out, there was a very tense standoff going off in front of city hall. On one side was Chain Linc, and Tattle Tail, and on the other, a group of two men and two women in elegant suits and gowns, all of which wearing blank, bald white face masks and carrying guns and machetes, practically back to back. They were surrounded by police and civilians, with the former keeping the latter back with Glacial Gal's help as the two women and one of the men pointed their firearms at them. The final man stood facing the two super children, the blade of his own weapon at his own throat. "Ok. Calm down. There's no need to go there." Chain Linc said, acting as the negotiator.

"I'm afraid there is, Chain Linc." The man holding himself hostage said in a dead, dull, but calm voice Lucy would be jealous of. It made it impossible to ascertain who was really speaking, and was also REALLY creepy. "We tried to be nice. We tried to go through the process. Royal Woods didn't want to listen. All the Sect of the Blank wanted is a place for our members to meet and worship. The tax exempt status we deserve."

"We understand that." Lincoln told them. "But the property you wanted already belongs to a church."

"No, lost child. You do not understand. That property is owned by false prophets. It belongs to the Sect by sacred right. Royal Woods failed to acknowledge this and now we must fight for what is ours. And unlike you, we are ready to die for what we feel is right." The unknown Blank continued. Once he finished his monologue, his three partners seemed to be talking to him in low voices, still taking aim at the cops and bystanders. Too low for most to hear them...but not too low for TattleTail.

"What's the word, sis?" Lincoln whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Sounds like they're arguing." She whispered back. "Those three are saying they didn't sign up for this. Dying was never a part of the deal."

"There's no need for that, sir." Chain Linc said, making a 'ease up' gesture. "No one, least of all you, need be hurt by this. Surely we can find a compromise here."

"It is a pity you are not part of city hall, Chain Linc. You are more reasonable than they were. However, this also means your attempt is pointless." The near emotionless man in the mask said.

"Maybe we're not in politics, but we could still put in a good word." The white haired hero told them. "I can't promise we'll get you the exact property you want...but maybe we can find you another property? Another spot for your group to meet." He suggested. The young man sorely wished the man wasn't wearing that bland mask, so he could more easily tell what he was thinking. He did slowly lower his machete away from his own neck.

"The Sect wants that church." He finally said, which seemed to make his associates more nervous.

"Careful, Chain Linc...they're getting antsy…" Tattletail quietly informed him. "And this guy isn't helping..." The armored boy bit his lip a little, his mind racing.

"Alright...hear me out on this one for a moment." Chain Linc said, knowing what he was about to suggest was risky, but he lacked other options. "...is it really important that you get it right here, right now?" All four plain white, emotionless masks turned in his direction. "I mean, properties change hands all the time, right? And it's not exactly a thriving economy. So couldn't you still get your group a property, get your status, and then wait until the church goes up for sale, so you can get first dibs?" The silence that followed made the tension unbearable. The four seemed to be debating with each other quietly, with all of them still watching the law enforcement agents and heroes before them.

"They're talking it over." Lola told him, her super hearing picking up their conversation like she were right there. "The ones pointing the guns...they want him to go for it...But he's not saying anything..."

"Hmmmm. It is written that patience is a virtue." The man said, lowering his blade to his side. "And the Sect does have time." The remaining three Blanks take their aims off the civilians. They were still armed, but they seemed more at ease. However, before the police could clear a path for the Sect members to leave, the helmeted Chandler arrived on the scene, flying over the the still armed cultists. All eyes turned to the flying boy, apart from the cultists and Chain Linc (though it was more he kept facing the Sect, with only his eyes looking up at the newbie hero). The hero currently known as Chain Reaction looked down at the four weapon bearing men and women, then he nodded to the two child heroes. Linc and Lola's pupils shrank as they hastily shook their heads. This alerted the members of the Sect of the Blank, who looked up just in time to see Chandler diving at them. They didn't, however, have time to evade him. The four cultists were knocked to the ground, three of them losing their handguns. Seeing this, Rita made a quick move to collect them. However, before the police could make a move on them, their leader got back to his feet in an almost robotic manner. He grabbed Chandler with one arm and moved his bladed weapon to his neck. The brown haired boy struggled some, having some extra strength with his power of flight, but even twice his strength wasn't enough to fight off a fully grown man. "...that was almost clever, lost child…" He said, turning back to Chain Linc.

"I promise you, that was the last thing we wanted to happen." The white haired hero told them, half scared and half ticked off at what just happened. He had just defused the situation and this idiot had to fly in and make a mess of things.

"Regardless of what you did or did not want to happen, it still happened." The emotionally dead man told him.

"Look, we can still-" Lincoln said, taking a step forward toward them.

"Stay where you are, Chain Linc." He warned the young man, pointing the machete in his direction for a moment. Just then, a spray of web shot from the crowd, knocking the weapon from his hand and sticking it to the ground. From the pack of cops and lookie lus, a giant spitting spider crawled forward. Three of the four cultists made a run for it, but that only made them an easier target for the arachnid, wrapping them together in webbing. Chandler slammed his elbow into the gut of the one holding him hostage, making the leader of the group stagger back, but otherwise not react. He then flew skyward, leaving the last of the Sect wide open to getting webbed by the eight legged silk spitter. The moment he was immobilized, the police moved in and the spider shifted back into Tiger Lily.

"Whew...perfect timing, Tiger Lily." Chain Linc said, picking the infant up with a smile. The tot giggled, hugging her big brother. Just then, the head of the Blanks started to shake and convulse, as if he were having some kind of seizure. Glacial Gal gasped and ran over to him, quickly pulling his mask off. Under the mask was a man with short brown hair and a bushy mustache. His eyes were wide open, his mouth hanging open and there was a burn mark on the side of his head like he had just been electrocuted. A few bits of what looked like computer equipment fell from the mask.

"We need an ambulance here!" She called out, checking the unknown man's pulse. Fortunately, it was still there, if weak. Chandler came in for a landing, feeling kind of glad no one was really paying attention to him. That could have really turned badly for everyone. Before he could make himself scarce, however, TattleTail grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn around.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?" She screamed in absolute fury. The helmeted boy cringed, not just because she was yelling, but all the sudden, her volume of screeching had increased. Not only that, he could hear the conversations of everyone around him. The slightest whisper, he could hear as if it was being whispered into his own ear. "You could have gotten yourself or someone else killed!"

"I...I was just trying to help you guys out…"

"By barging in without a plan like that!? Right after Chain Linc got them to calm down!? All you did was make things worse!" The powered pageant princess told him harshly.

"TattleTail…please." Chain Linc intervened, moving over while carrying their baby sister. "Let me handle this." He said, handing the furred baby to her. Lola glared at the boy in the bike helmet before she walked off to her mother. "Look...uh...what's your name again?" The armored hero asked him in a calm tone.

"...I'm kind of between names at the moment…" Chandler admitted, looking down at the pavement.

"I see...well, whoever you are, I get it. I really do. You have powers and you want to put them to good use by helping others. I'm the same way." The middle son told him. "But it took the whole league weeks of training and practice to coordinate and get used to our powers. How long have you practiced with your powers?"

"...not long enough."

"Hmmm. Well, take some time, get more used to the strengths and limitations of your abilities." Chain Linc suggested to him gently. "Also, you can't go leaping without looking like that. That's just dangerous; for you, for fellow heroes, for the bad guys, and especially for innocent civilians. If you want to help us, that's fine, but work with us. Coordinate with us so we can work together, ok?"

"Yeah…" Chandler said dismissively, starting to walk away before the chain fighter could continue any further. He wasn't really listening to anything anymore, in spite of being able to hear pretty much everything. His mind was muddled by several thoughts going through his head; How he had effectively made an idiot of himself twice in front of the Heroes League, not to mention most of the town. How lucky he was that no one would recognize him. And especially what had just happened moments ago and earlier. 'Earlier today, I had Chain Linc like powers...but then, I could fly. And now, all of the sudden, I could hear anything and everything…' He thought to himself, as he strolled sullenly along. 'But how is that possible?' He wondered. He thought back to when he realized he could fly; right after Lady Glori had caught him and brought him to safety. '...and after TattleTail grabbed me...I gained super hearing.' He reasoned, with things starting to become clearer to him. 'Same with Chain Linc...he touched my shoulder the other day and I could control chains right after…holy carp, I can copy powers through touch...that is so cool!...but what about the super speed?' He wondered, a slight frown appearing on his face. 'I know Glacial Gal bumped into me, but I didn't touch any other superheroes before I met with the League…' He considered this conundrum for a moment, sitting on the street curb as he thought. '...there must be a time limit or something. It lasts a day and then it goes away...well, that sucks...but who am I to argue? I really do have superpowers!' He was excited for a moment, but then his face fell. '...but what am I going to do with them? Not sure I even want to be part of the league anymore…' He slumped his shoulders, looking like someone had kicked his puppy. 'Maybe I was kind of rash...but did they really need to scream at me like that, or speak to me like I'm some kind of child...well, younger child…' He shook his head, putting his hands on his helmet.

"Hello there, Mr Man." Came a super sweet voice from beside him. He turned his head to the left to see Sweet Pea standing there. "What's the matter?"

"...Having a bad day…" Chandler replied, looking away from her.

"You have powers, don't you?" She whispered where she assumed his ear was, getting him to turn the helmet visor to face her, a look of surprise on his face she couldn't see. "I was watching from far away when you were trying to stop those creepies. That was very brave of you."

"Peh...tell that to the Heroes League…"

"Oh, poo. You don't want to be a part of those meanies." She said with an almost snide giggle. "If you want to join some real 'heroes', come pay us a visit tonight." She pulled a business card from her blouse pocket and handed it to the confused young man. "You won't be disappointed. Toodles!" She chirped before she skipped away. Chandler blinked after her, then looked down at the card. All that was on it was a request to meet at a fast food joint that had been shut down over a year ago. He wasn't really sure what to make of it, but if they were willing to give him a chance, he should do the same.

'But first...a costume change.' He thought to himself. 'This better be the last time...my allowance can't take it anymore…'

* * *

Later that night (thankfully not after curfew), the young man could be found biking his way through the streets of Royal Woods, wearing a dark hoodie, dark pants and black shoes. Fortunately for him, there were often so many kids out in the evening that few people gave him more than a passing thought. He rode with a certain trepidation to the location of the abandoned food place, a sandwich shop once called HoagieTown that was a stone's throw from the more popular Burpin' Burger. The building looked run down, with the windows and front door completely boarded up. He casually biked his way around the back of the old restaurant, quickly looked around to make sure no one was around, then quickly pulled a face mask over his face: a simple black face mask with cat ears on top. He followed that with a pair of gloves before he slunk around to the side of the building. There was a fire escape door left a crack open, so he took that as his method of getting in. Once he was inside, he noticed he wasn't the first one there. Linebacker and Quarterback were standing around, looking like bodyguards as they stood beside a door leading into what used to be a kitchen. Sweet Pea was there too, humming to herself as she kicked her legs a little while sitting on an old stool. The only other one there was a boy with light blonde hair, fair skin, and buck teeth. He had a rather cocky look about him, wearing a kid's sized white cowboy hair, a black vest over a dark orange shirt, a bandolier of prank tools from stink bombs to snappers and poppers, and had a slingshot in one pocket and a water pistol in his other pocket. Chandler slowly glanced around at them all, uncertain if he wanted to be there when the charismatic little girl spotted him and smiled even more brightly. "Gasp! Kitty!"

'Thanks...I REALLY wanted to draw more attention to myself…' Chandler thought sarcastically as the rogue's gallery turned their attention to him. Hank and Hawk both guffawed at the sight of him.

"Well well, look what the cat dragged it?" Linebacker joked.

"What's new, pussycat!?" Quarterback joined in, laughing at the young man.

"Oh ha ha…" He replied, rolling his eyes. "Very funny, you lunkheads. The name is CopyCat." He introduced himself, which only made the Hazeltuckey meatheads laugh even more.

"Ooo! CopyCat! That sounds so cute!" SweetPea cooed, which didn't help matters for the newly empowered child. "What can you do?"

"Observe." He said with a grin, strolling over to Quarterback and placing a hand on his arm. Just then, CopyCat's right arm turned into a cannon just like his.

"Huh!?" Hawk gaped at the power copying child, while his partner stopped laughing as well.

"Cool." The cocky boy said with a smirk.

"Isn't it, though?" Copycat said with a grin. "From what I can tell, I can copy any superpower." He explained to the group in the ruined dining area. "But only one set of powers at a time."

"Hmmm. Not bad, kid. Could come in handy against those League Losers." Linebacker said with a chuckle. "I'm Linebacker, and this is my bud, Quarterback." He said, pointing a thumb at his cannon armed associate.

"I'm SweetPea. Pleased to meet you, CopyCat." Lindsey gave a curtsy as she introduced herself.

"And they call me Outlaw." The bratty looking kid said, putting his feet on the dusty old table before him as he lounged in his seat. Chandler looked around at the four of them, starting to have second thoughts about this. Not only did these characters look like they were c list at best, but he had seen the football centered hooligans and the overly sweet girl on the news some time back. They were criminals. Villains. So what was he even doing here? CopyCat was about to just turn and walk away, but then the door to the kitchen opened and in tromped Lord Tetherby in his bloated metal suit.

"As much as I loathe using such a dump for such an important meeting…" He complained at first. "...it is what the league would least suspect." He sighed before he looked toward Outlaw and Sweet Pea. "...that's it? These are the only ones to answer my call."

"Actually, there's this little stray here." Hawk commented, nudging his head toward the newbie hero. The overly round businessman's attention turned to CopyCat, taking note of his cannon arm.

"Hmmmm. Very well. I suppose even my own business empire had to start somewhere…" Tetherby said, though he sounded less than enthused about it. "Very well. Identify yourselves and explain your powers." He instructed them.

"I'm SweetPea. And with my adorable charm, grown ups have no problem bending to my slightest whim." She responded, giving a little wink. Lord Tetherby just nodded slightly to her. "...well, with one exception."

"I'm Outlaw." The kid in the white hat answered. "With my super reflexes and perfect aim, there's no target I can't hit." To prove his point, he pulled a marble from his pocket and looked around for a target. He spotted a fly buzzing around Linebacker's head. He watched it for a moment, then flicked the marble right at it, knocking the little pest right out of the air, narrowly avoiding the hulking goon's head.

"Mmhmmm." The multimillionaire hummed before looking to CopyCat. "And you?"

"I'm...well, I'm CopyCat. I can copy the powers of anyone who has powers that I touch." Chandler explained, indicating the arm cannon.

"Hmmmmm. Interesting." The rotund man muttered under his breath, twirling his mustache. "Not prime candidates, but some potential exists." He placed his hands on the table Outlaw was sitting at, now speaking at a normal volume. "Young lady and gentlemen, I am pleased that you all decided to respond to call."

"Actually, I don't know if this is-" Chandler started to say, but Linebacker grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to sit down (negating his copy of Quarterback's powers too).

"I called you all here because I have an important task for you all...and believe you all have similar grudges to myself against the Royal Woods Heroes League."

"Yeah. Those meanies spoiled my fun and told on me to my parents…" The incredibly charismatic Lindsey said with a pout.

"They humiliated us." Quarterback complained angrily.

"I don't really have a personal beef with them." Outlaw admitted with a shrug. "But superheroes are lame. Being a bad guy is where it's really at."

"Fair enough." Tetherby said.

"I...well…" CopyCat felt a little uneasy now. "...I tried to join them." He winced and closed his eyes, waiting for the group to suddenly turn ugly. However, nothing seemed to happen. He cautiously opened his eyes, only to see Tetherby gesturing him to continue. The uber adorable little girl seemed to understand, with a 'that makes sense' look, which the Hazeltuckey hooligans just rolled their eyes. "When I first discovered my powers, I admit...I didn't really get them...but I tried to help the Heroes League while they were on the job. They...didn't appreciate it."

"I sympathize, young man." Lord Tetherby told the child, and he looked it. "They treated my help with similar disdain, the ungrateful whippersnappers…" The mech armored businessman shook his head. "All I wanted was to cooperate with them...but now...I want to see them ruined!" He slammed his fist into the table, putting a hole into it. Linebacker, Quarterback and SweetPea all cheered their approval, while Outlaw smirked. Tetherby took a moment to regain his composure. "Given the sheer number of the heroes and how well coordinated they are, individually, we don't stand a prayer. Even with my resources, I cannot handle them all. However, together, we may be able to make their lives significantly more difficult."

"But how do you plan to do that, old man?" The bratty kid inquired, fiddling about with a weaponized fidget spinner.

"Simple. We set up a crime to get their attention, then surprise them with our numbers." Tetherby explained to them.

"Provided they won't come in greater numbers." CopyCat pointed out.

"A good point. But I suspect if they think only my muscle bound associates are involved, they will only send a few heroes, as they have defeated them before." The bloated businessman explained.

"Don't remind us…" Quarterback grumbled.

"You can count me in." SweetPea chirped, placing her hand on the table.

"Me too. Causing some headaches for some lame heroes sounds like fun." Outlaw agreed, though his hand didn't join the little girl's. Hank and Hawk both placed their hand on the charismatic child's, before looking toward CopyCat.

"...I don't know...I'm still not sure about all of this…" Chandler admitted, a little scared.

"Still considering joining them?" Linebacker asked him with a sneer.

"Hardly...but...this seems...a bit of a jump to take."

"Young man, I understand this is a lot to ask." Lord Tetherby said, walking around the table to stand beside the power copying child. "For you to stand against 'heroes' you may have once looked up to. As I said, I myself was the same way. But you tried doing things their way, didn't you?" The brown haired boy slowly nodded. "And it didn't go well, did it? So if their way didn't work…" He puts a hand on his shoulder in an almost friendly manner. "...then you just have to try something different, don't you?"

"...yeah, I guess that makes sense…" He said after mulling it over for a moment. "...I guess I'm in too."

"Bully." Tetherby said, pleased as punch. "Now then...here's what we're going to do…" He leaned over the table and motioned the others to join the huddle so they could talk quietly.

* * *

The next day...

"Whew…" Lana said as she stepped out from under a giant sized tarp, her face covered in sweat and grease, carrying her toolbox with her. "That was a lot of work...but we were able to incorporate a lot of the robot's parts into our little project."

"Indeed. A most fortunate turn of events for us." LISA commented as she soon appeared from under the tarp. "The power core will make a marvelous auxiliary energy source, and the parts from the machine's brain fit the computer system perfectly."

"At this rate, we should be finished in a few weeks."

"Finished with what?" Luna inquired as she walked into the duo's workshop, which was easily the largest room in the whole headquarters. They could have easily fit the house sitting over the hidden base in this one room if they really wanted to. Most of the space in the room, presently, was taken up by Lana and Lisa's secret project, which looked almost as large as a football field and equally as wide. Scrap parts and metal, tools, sheets of paper, and wads of greasy shop towels littered the floor. Several electrical and computer diagnostic devices were placed on the corner of the tarp near where they were working.

"Nothing that is of concern presently, elder sister." LISA responded without breaking her monotone.

"Nothing of concern?" The rocker sister asked, crossing her arms. "You two have been working on...whatever that is...for forever. THAT seems like something we might be concerned about."

"Don't worry about it, Luna. We're almost done with it, and when it's done, we'll show the whole family." The six year old mechanical genius informed her with a smile.

"...can't you lot just give me a hint?" The third oldest sister asked, leaning a little to try and get a peek under the tarp.

"Sincerest apologies, Luna, but this is and will remain a surprise until completion." The Mick Swagger fan girl opened her mouth to object, but before she could say anything further, the crime alert alarm blared.

"All available League members…" April Fool called through the HQ PA system and the team's personal comm links. "There is a break in at one of Tetherby's warehouses. It looks like Quarterback and Linebacker."

"Those meat heads?" Grappler responded through the communicator. "I can clobber the both of them. I'll be right there."

"You shouldn't go alone." Mystic Mortician told her. "I will meet you there."

"I'm not far from there. I'll join you guys." Fashion Plate interjected. It was at this point Luna took her own comm link from her hip.

"I'll be there to rock those goons in a moment." She said before she pulled her guitar from behind her. "...but this dance will continue when I return."

"I can hardly wait." The little android deadpanned before she returned under the tarp. The musically inclined brunette started to shred on her guitar, a band of musical notes made of force energy emerging from the neck and surrounding her in seconds. She then blasted a high note, causing the notes to shatter and revealing her in her Deci-Belle costume.

"Mind giving me a lift, Deci-Belle?" Ms Fix It asked as she got into costume as well. "I loaned Fashion Plate my last functioning hover disc."

"What happened to the other ones?" The rock and roll super inquired with a raised eyebrow. The mechanical genius leaned in closer to her and whispered;

"Lola can't drive."

"I see…" Deci-Belle said before she created her flying guitar construct. "Hop aboard."

"Best hurry, sisters. Crime waits for no one. Hahahaha." AF joked as Deci-Belle and Miss Fix It flew off out of the workshop.

* * *

A few minutes later, Grappler skidded to a stop in front of the warehouse in question; a building the size of an airplane hanger, with a giant metal door with a big hole in it. The logo on the door indicated it belonged to Lord Tetherby. The hole was just a little too small for Grappler to pass through in her bulked form. As she was looking over the building, Fashion Plate came in to land beside her and a dark swirling portal deposited Lucy at Lynn's other side. "Didn't expect anything less of Ol' Fatso." The super sized super heroine commented. "Go big or go home."

"It's a key point of Tetherby's shipping routes in and out of Royal Wods." Mystic Mortician explained quietly. "It has to be big."

"And it looks like Dip one and Dip two are inside." The sporty sister observed, pointing to the hole. "I'm going in for a look."

"Right behind you, Grappler." Leni said, waiting for her hulking sibling to squeeze through. The only light in the place was coming from the hole on the door. Neither Grappler nor Fashion Plate could see in the darkness, but Mystic Mortician could see fairly clearly. Stacks upon stacks of crates, barrels, boxes, and even a few shipping containers. It was almost literally a maze of boxes. There was no sign of any movement.

'Strange...if Quarterback and Linebacker were robbing the place, you'd think we'd see more stuff messed up, or hear them rummaging through the stock…' she thought to herself. "On guard, everyone…" she whispered, her scythe appearing in her hands. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. I can't see a thing…" Lynn grumbled.

"I wish someone would turn a light on…" Fashion Plate complained quietly. Just they, all the lights in the building suddenly lit together. Grappler and Mystic Mortician winced at the sudden brightness, but the fashionable heroine smiled. "Thank you." She said to no one in particular.

"Welcome." Quarterback's voice replied, followed by a smack to the back of his head.

"Idiot…" The other Hazeltuckey goon grumbled as the two stepped into view, emerging from behind a stack of crates.

"There you two are." Lynn said with a grin, cracking her solid knuckles. "Didn't learn your lesson from last time?"

"Oh, but we did." Linebacker replied with a smirk of his own. "Because this time, we have you OUTNUMBERED."

"Outnumbered?" Grappler couldn't help but laugh at that. "You guys fail kindergarten math? There's two of you and three of us."

"Actually, there's three of us." Came the voice of SweetPea, who skipped right over beside Hank and Hawk.

"...not fighting her…" Mystic commented with a shudder.

"Four, actually." CopyCat interjected, trying to keep his nervousness underwraps. He was wearing a brand new, dark brown bodysuit with black spots like a lynx, as well as a matching hood and mask, pointed ears, and clawed gloves.

'Five.' Outlaw thought as he looked down at the scene from his hiding place on top of a large pile of boxes, providing him plenty of cover.

"Ok. So there's four of you. No big. We can still take you all down." The burly sister declared, punching her fist into her other hand, while Leni adopted a fighting stance and Lucy pointed her scythe at them.

"I'll take Grappler." CopyCat said, rushing toward her.

"Ah man...I wanted to get payback on her…" Linebacker said sadly.

"Maybe next time, buddy. How about you help me take our frustration out on the midget over there?" QB suggested, patting his friend on the shoulder before pointing a thumb toward Mystic Mortician. The two grinned maniacally as they converged on the gothic heroine, while SweetPea turned to face Fashion Plate.

"Just you against me?" The muscle bound Lynn asked the more puny CopyCat, scoffing. "You're dumber than they are."

"That's what you think." Chandler informed her as he leapt at her. She just stood there, with the intent of tanking whatever he had planned. However, the moment his hands touched her, CopyCat started to bulk up just like her. She blinked in surprise, stepping back from him as he was almost as big as her, the torso of his body suit bursting into cloth tatters in the process. "What the...ah man...I just got this costume too…" He said in disappointment as he noticed his ruined uniform.

"Whoa...I didn't know you could do that." Grappler said in awe, her grin growling. "This is going to be fun!" She added as she lunged at him, attempting to grapple the strength boosted young man. Meanwhile, Quarterback was launching a barrage of footballs at the magically empowered heroine. Lucy was able to block the projectiles with the handle and blade of her weapon, but she wasn't prepared for when Linebacker charged her. He shoulder checked the eight year old, sending her flying back and through the wooden face of the crate. A flood of tetherballs came out of the hole she had created.

"Ouch…" She groaned from inside the broken crate. Not far away, Fashion Plate was facing down SweetPea, though nothing was really happening.

"Uh...are we going to fight or something?" Leni inquired, noticing the little girl wasn't even showing any sign of hostility.

"Nope. I don't believe in violence." Lindsey replied sweetly.

"Oh...well, that works nicely." Fashion Plate commented with a smile. She put her guard down, just as a weighted spinner hit her in the side of the head. "OW! Hey! What was that!?" She asked, looking upward. She couldn't spot the source from where she stood, but she did see a boomerang headed for her. She ducked under it, but didn't see it as it came back, as she was so focused on finding who threw it. It hit her right in the back of the head, knocking her forward onto her hands and knees. Even while she was down, she was being pelted by marbles and pebbles from several angles.

"Well, this is easy." Hawk said with a cruel snicker as he made his way toward the recovering young mortician. "Now you're the one who'll need a mortician…"

"Acting funny, and don't know why!" All action inside the warehouse paused when they all heard the sound of singing from outside. All of the sudden, Deci-Belle and Miss Fix It soared through the opening, the older sister glaring at Linebacker. Lana leaped off the back of the construct right before the musical super kicked the flying instrument right into the super powered charger, knocking him off his feet and sending him clear across the storage building. "Excuse me...while I kick your butt!"

"Your timing is incredible…" The little goth said as she crawled out of the bundle of spheres.

"Hey! Who's that!?" The mechanical genius of the team pointed up toward the ceiling, where the pest in the white hat had peeked out to see what was going on. Realizing he had been sighted, he quickly ducked behind a barrel that was bigger than he was. The little inventor frowned, summoning her hover disc to her side before leaping aboard and going after him.

"Now the odds are a little fairer." Lucy said, her scythe returning to her hand as she floated after Linebacker.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" Quarterback demanded to know, aiming his arm cannon at her back.

"Oh no you don't!" Luna yelled, turning her axe in his direction, sending a powerful soundwave at him. The burst of sound knocked the barrel off course, sending a football through the side of a shipping crates. Judging by the sound of shattering, it was full of fragile glass.

"...oops." Hank said, wincing at the sound, before glaring at Deci-Belle. "That was your fault, you know!"

"Oh yeah. It was so my fault you have an itchy trigger finger." The rocker in purple replied sarcastically, the two leering and aiming at one another.

* * *

While they were engaged in a standoff, Grappler and CopyCat were in a bit of a stalemate of their own. With his newly acquired enhanced strength, he was almost a match for her. However, there was one little thing he didn't count on: he may have been quite athletic himself, but Lynn had been exercising since she could walk, and her powers boosted her already significant natural strength. What's more, she wasn't really trying that hard...yet. "Heh. Gotta admit. You're not half bad there, kitty cat." She told him as the two continued to try and over power the other.

"Thanks…" Chandler replied, starting to sweat.

"You know, I got a bit of a problem in this respect." She started to say. "With all this strength, I have to hold back against most criminals, or else someone could get seriously hurt. Not everyone can take it like I can."

"Uh...ok."

"But you...I think you can take it." She informed him, a grin that CopyCat didn't like spreading across her face. "So I don't need to hold back any further."

"...you were holding back?" He asked in alarm. His answer came in the form of the hulking teen pulling him up to her and putting him in a headlock. Fortunately for him, gaining her powers gave him her super durability and pain tolerance as well. However, it was still FAR from a comfortable position to be in.

"Yeah! That's more like it!" Lynn exclaimed, holding him there until he started to get blue in the face. "I don't get very many opportunities to really let go." She said before she released his head and picked him up for a Gorilla Press. She followed up by slamming him against the cold hard floor, sitting on his back and pulling his legs behind him.

"Agh! Ow! Ow! Ok! Now it's starting to hurt!" Chandler complained.

"Aww. You wimp. I was just starting to have fun…" Grappler moaned in disappointment, climbing off his back and picking him up before hurling him into a pile of boxes.

"And so, like I was saying…" Fashion Plate said, sitting with Sweet Pea. Since the overly sweet redhead didn't want to fight and Leni wasn't being hassled by Outlaw, the two decided to discuss-what else-fashion. "The shoes, while totes cute, aren't right for this time of the year. Besides, for a spring like yourself, you need a warmer color. Something to match your hair."

"You really think so?" She asked, her head kind of tilted.

"Like, certainly." FP answered with a nod, just as Chandler slammed into the tower of boxes.

"Uh oh, Excuse me. My friend there needs someone to help him."

"Oh, sure." Leni said, letting the little girl run over to CopyCat.

"CopyKitty, are you ok?" She asked, putting a hand on his massive shoulder. The moment she came into contact with him, he shrank down to normal size. Chandler slowly got to his feet, then turned to face SweetPea. Her eyes widened as she suddenly became starstruck, a big smile of wonder spreading across her face. The young man had a smooth smile on his face, and he seemed to become several times more handsome than before.

"I am doing just grand. Thank you so much for asking, young lady." He said, sounding like a sophisticated charmer. Grappler frowned in his direction for a moment, but then her cheeks turned bright red, her jaw hanging slightly open.

"Holy...when'd he get so cool looking…?"

* * *

Up on top of the many, many piles of stock, Outlaw was attempting to lay low. After Lana had spotted him, he hoped if he kept his head down, they would forget about him. This was wishful thinking, for the six year old was able to float clear up to the ceiling. Her eyes scanned the tops of crates and barrels, until they locked upon the wanna be cowboy. "There you are!" She declared. He looked up just in time to see Miss Fix It pulling a thin metal disc from her belt. She threw the device like a frisbee at the young man, the disc growing steel tendrils as it flew. The bratty kid ducked just in time, the thrown tool hitting the cask right behind him. The metal limbs wrapped tightly around the barrel like a robotic octopus. Outlaw took the opportunity to pull his slingshot from his pocket and a stink bomb from his bandolier. Within a second, he launched the stink bomb at her, only to have it detonate against her force shield.

"Ha!" Miss Fix It said with a smirk.

"Ha yourself. You still have to smell it, girly." Outlaw replied with a malicious grin. The mini mechanic took a whiff of the air, then shrugged.

"Eh. I've smelled worse." She told him without concern. That wiped the smirk off his face, and brought one to Lana's face as she pulled out what looked like a cross between a paintball gun and a vacuum. She pointed it right at him and fired a net in his direction. The white hatted punk was forced to take cover to avoid getting trapped, the net slamming into the cask he hid behind before falling to the floor. He loaded a buckeye into his slingshot, ducking out from behind his cover to fire at shot at her net gun. Fortunately for him, he was quick enough to get the shot off before she could put her shield up, knocking the net gun out of her hand. He went for another buckeye, but this time, Miss Fix It was able to throw a sphere covered in holes in his direction. As the sphere flew through the air, it made a shrill whistling noise. Outlaw cringed and moved his hands to cover his ears, knocking his bag of ammo down to the ground in the process. The young man was forced to leap to a new tower of crates, Lana hot on his heels on her hovering disc. However, before she could reach him, she came to a sudden stop, looking down toward the floor where CopyCat and SweetPea were. She took one look at the now super attractive Chandler and her eyes widened, a deep blush on her face. "Ba ba ba ba…"

"Huh?" The bratty kid stopped after her climbed to the top of the stack of boxes, looking back toward Miss Fix It. "Hey...what are you doing?" He asked her, looking confused. She wasn't paying him any mind, her focus exclusively on CopyCat.

"You...You're like the living embodiment of Prince Charming…" Lindsey said, fawning over him like he was a famous movie star.

"I saw him first!" Miss Fix It yelled, diving off her disc and tackling her to the ground.

"Hey! You were fighting me! Get back up here!" The toy gun slinger yelled indignantly as both the mech genius and the villainous pageant participant started to fight it out.

"Ladies, ladies...there's no need to fight like that…" Chandler said calmly, not daring to try and separate them. Unfortunately, his words had little to no effect on them. "SweetPea, I thought you didn't believe in violence…"

"She started it!" She responded angrily, beginning the metamorphosis into the monstrous Sour Puss mid brawl. The power copying boy looked distressed, backing away from the dust cloud. Just then, a water balloon burst on CopyCat's head, soaking him completely. He blinked, shivering a bit as he looked upward, where Outlaw had another balloon at the ready.

"This'll teach you to hog all the attention…" He growled, hurling the water bomb at his once partner in crime. He ducked under that one, the balloon bursting on the floor before he made a mad dash for any kind of cover. "Hold still and get what you deserve!" Outlaw shouted, pelting him with more and more water filled projectiles. Once Chandler was out of sight, the fight between Sour Puss and Lana suddenly ceased. The cat monster had been biting into the steel arm of one of two clawed hands coming from the back of the super tinkerer's belt, the other grabbing her by the scruff of her neck.

"...what we were fighting about again?" The six year old inventor inquired, a little lost.

"...whatever it was, you probably had it coming!" The beastly feline snapped before the fight started all over again.

* * *

After being bowled over by a flying guitar, Linebacker flipped back onto his feet, his temper at an all time low. He looked up just as Lucy landed several feet in front of him. "Grrrr...I'm going to run you over!"

"Klatu barata nikto!" She chanted in reply, her hands surrounded by dark cloudy energy. A triad of shadowy tendrils emerged from floor under the Hazeltuckey bruiser. The first wrapped around his legs, the second getting a grip on his left arm, and the third going for his neck. With an anger fueled bellow, he ripped the tentacle on his arm right out of the ground, cause it to fade. Mystic's eyes widened under her hood and hair as he pulled the other shadow grabbers like they were weeds. All that did was make him even angrier. He snorted like an angry bull, grinding his cleat against the concrete floor before he charged at the young caster. Seeing him coming right for her, Lucy vanished in a cloud of black smoke, reappearing behind him almost instantly as the charging villain ran through the wisp. He skidded to a stop and turned as soon as he realized he missed, seeing red. He lost some momentum, but he was further away from her, giving him room to get a better running start.

"HOOOOCKERS!" Hawk roared as a battle cry, barreling toward the young dark spell caster. Having had enough of this, Mystic Mortician raised her sickle and slashed through the air, rending a portal opening right in front of her. Linebacker didn't have enough time or space to stop himself. He charged right through the opening and emerged out the other end, right into the tallest stack of Tetherby's products. The burly bully's charge knocked the foundation boxes out of the way, causing the whole tower to fall down on him. Even less fortunately for Outlaw, he was standing right on top of that pile, so when it went down, so did he. When the dust cleared, the bratty kid was laying on top of the mess; dazed and a little sore, but otherwise in good shape all things considered.

"Ugh...thanks a lot, dummy…" He groaned as he rubbed the side of his head. The magical mortician started to float toward them, but stopped as CopyCat came out of hiding.

"Whew." The super copier sighed once he saw that Outlaw was no longer an issue to him. He turned around, only to find Mystic Mortician standing there, staring at him.

"...hi." she said, shyly.

"Why hello there." He said with a winning smile. Lucy blushed deeply as he took her hand to kiss it. However, when he touched her hand, his super charm faded instantly. Mystic Mortician snapped out of her daze, stepping back away from CopyCat, who had a rather horrified look on his face. "W..what's going on…?" He asked, his voice trembling.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"I feel...really cold." He said, just as shadowy energy started to engulf his hands and arms. The dark mage gasped as she saw this, which caused him to look down at his hands. "AH! What is that!?"

"Calm down…" She instructed him calmly.

"Calm down!? These things are eating my arms!"

"No they aren't. It's just dark magic building up. You need to calm yourself and clear your mind…" She tried to tell him. Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf ears. He was in too much of a panic as the magic built up in his hands. Mystic gulped and hit the deck as dark magic energy surged from his hands, CopyCat unable to control the power.

* * *

Moments earlier, Deci-Belle and Quarterback seemed to be locked in a kind of stalemate. The cannon armed creep would fire footballs at her, but she was easily able to shoot them down with a blast of sonic energy from her guitar. "And another bites the dust." She said with a smirk. as a strum of the strings zapped another projectile out of the air. "And another one down. And another one down. Another one bites the dust." Hank growled, knowing she was taunting him. He would teach her, though.

"Think you're funny, huh!? Well, let's heat things up with a few fire footballs!" He shouted, throwing a few switches on his arm cannon.

"Fire? Whoa, dude! You could set the place ablaze that way!"

"Ask me if I care!? Not my place, not my problem!" He yelled, firing a fiery orb at Luna. She tried to blast it with a sonic burst like the others, but instead of being knocked out of the way, the fireball burst, sending sparks and embers all over the place. The ones that landed on crates ignited the wooden boxes rather quickly. The rocking heroine gasped, while the brute from Hazeltuckey smirked.

"Hahaha! Who's laughing now!?" He asked, smirking as Deci-Belle looked around at all the fires were starting to build rapidly. No way she could put them all out...or so he thought. She glared at him, then started to play a fast riff on her guitar, which grew louder and louder with each swipe of the pick. Quarterback blinked, wondering what she was doing until she reached the high note; the guitar squealed shrilly as a shockwave of sound burst from her faithful axe. The soundwaves struck the flames and put them all out at once. This further irritated the chunky cannoneer, who was grinding his teeth. "Alright, smart aleck...why don't we give rapid fire a try!?" Luna gulped. One blazing ball caused more than enough trouble; several would probably turn this place into literal Hell on Earth. Before he could unleash the fire storm, however, a blast of dark magic threw him clear across the warehouse and into a faraway wall. His head ended up stuck in the wall, knocking him senseless.

"Whew...thanks for the assist, Mystic." Deci-Belle said, but when she looked to where the blast originated, she saw CopyCat freaking out, while her sister was trying to calm him. She blinked and ran over to see what was going on. Magical energy was starting to build up once more in his hands and arms. "What the...what's going…?"

"Borrowing!" Chandler shouted as he grabbed her arm. Luna gasped and pulled her arm out of his grip, but his move had the desired results. The dark magic faded from him, as did the inner chill he felt. "Phew...that's better…" He said, taking deep breaths before he looked to Mystic Mortician. "...I'm never borrowing your power again…"

"Borrowing my power?" The magically adept young lady asked with a raised eyebrow (not that he could see that). Deci-Belle looked just as confused as her little sister, the two looking to one another. While they were over by CopyCat, Outlaw saw this as his opportunity to slink away. He could see the writing on the wall, and felt it was time to cut his losses here. However, before he could escape, a spool of ribbon was thrown around him. It spun around and around him, wrapping him up in bright pink ribbon like some kind of mummy. He struggled and squirmed, but the ribbon was MUCH stronger than it looked.

"Ah ah ah." Fashion Plate tutted at him, waving her finger. "You're not getting away that easy."

"Seriously!?" He snapped at her, his face kinda red. "Of all things...it had to be pink!?"

"I think it suits you." Leni said with a smile. "Really brings out your eyes." The bratty kid cringed, his face going even more red, utterly embarrassed.

"Gah...A little help here, Fashion Plate!?" Miss Fix It called out, trying to hold Sour Puss back with her two robot arms, looking tired. The cat monster was fighting like mad, trying to break free. The ditzy, but kind blonde turned and walked over to her little sister.

"What's up, Fix It?"

"Sour Puss is giving me all kinds of trouble…" Lana explained.

"Oh. I think I know what to do." The fashionable superheroine said with a smile, strolling up to the snarling and snapping cat creature. After nearly getting her hand bitten a few times, she managed to get her hand on Sour Puss' head and started to scratch behind her ears. The furious feline was caught off guard by this, but looked to be enjoying the scratching.

"...now why didn't I think of that?" The mechanically savvy wondered aloud as the super powered cat monster purred, slowly turning back into SweetPea again.

"...I'm in trouble again, aren't I?" She asked, looking adorably sad.

"Afraid so, sweety." Fashion Plate replied, which caused Lindsey to whine pathetically while Miss Fix It let her go. Leni took her by the hand and started to lead her outside while calling the cops. Meanwhile, Grappler was starting to dig Linebacker out of the pile of crates. He should have been able to break out easily himself, so she wondered what had happened to him. When she reached the bottom of the stack, she founded him with his head laying on a bundle of chocolate cookies, crumbs all over his face. He was in the middle of chewing some up when she found him.

"...that explains a lot." She said with a chuckle, pulling him out from the pile. "Were they any good?"

"Eh. Six out of ten." He responded, a bit lethargic after all that chocolate. Lynn just shrugged before she hauled him away, with Miss Fix It picking up Outlaw.

"Looks like we're done here." Mystic Mortician said. "We'll need to let the League know about a possible new evil organization."

"Wait. Did she just call us an evil organization?" Outlaw asked, looking over at her as he was carried away. "...cool."

"What about him?" Deci-Belle inquired, nudging her head toward CopyCat.

"...eh. I don't think he did that much." Lucy replied with a shrug. "In fact, I think he did more damage to them than he did to us." The musically inclined heroine looked at Chandler for a moment, mulling it over before she nodded a bit.

"Yeah, I guess." She said. "Alright, kid, consider this your one warning. Keep your nose clean." Deci-Belle said, gesturing for him to beat it. He didn't need to be told twice as he quickly bailed from the warehouse. However, he found himself very saddened by the results.

"Not a hero…" He muttered to himself as he shuffled his way down the sidewalk in his ruined costume. "...not a villain...what am I?" He asked quietly.

* * *

_AN: He's the copy catter Chander and the name of his game; is to copy others powers and sign his own name. Ok, all joking aside, Chandler is CopyCat, possibly the first antihero of the series, and he possesses the power to copy the powers of those granted super powers via the incident through touch. For example, touching Lady Glori will grant him flight and strength. However, it also gives him the limitations of said powers. Going back to the Lady Glori example, his strength and durability would also be proportional to how close his family is to him (physically and emotionally). He also can't copy experience or knowledge, so he couldn't really use Miss Fix It or Fashion Plate's powers to build or disguise himself. His copied power only lasts for twenty four hours, in which case, it will end no matter what. Bonus points to those who know what I was referencing with the chapter name and the little ditty at the start of the explanation of CopyCat._

_Outlaw is the bratty kid from the episode "Cereal Offender". He was gifted with extraordinary reflexes and a sharpshooter's aim. Unfortunately for him, he's too young to get access to any real weapons, so he's limited to water pistols, slingshots, stinkbombs and water balloons._

_I'll get to more detail with the mysterious voices and the Sect of the Blank in later chapters._

_I know it seemed like I was picking on him a lot this chapter, but I promise I didn't make this chapter with the express intention of beating on Chandler for no reason. You'll what I mean in the fullness of time._


	8. Chapter 8: MAD, Louds and Gadget Men pt1

_AN: I've been wanting to do this chapter for a while now. Had the idea brewing ever since I started...and it STILL gave me no end of trouble completing the first half. Much like with Louds and Dragons, I wanted to get it all in one chapter, but it was taking way too long and I didn't want to leave the story without an update too much longer. Here's hoping you enjoy the story, but first, a few questions need answers._

_Imagaco: If CopyCat were to touch Lisa, nothing would happen, really. A lot of LISA's powers come from the fact she is a living AI and an android. His powers wouldn't alter his body that drastically, unlike the buff up he got from Grappler. As for what would happen if he copied the power of someone whose power relies on something specific about the body, it would probably grant him the power proportionate to his own body type. Using your own example, if it grants shock absorbing powers based upon body fat, it would grant him similar defensive prowess equal to his own body fat (IE not much at all). However, if the power made the powered individual fat along with granting this power, then his body would change as well when he copies the power (much like the Grappler example I mentioned earlier)._

_Tetherby probably would get him some kind of weapon, but he'd have to be careful. He is a kid after all, and handing him a lethal weapon is a liability lawsuit waiting to happen._

_And finally, it depends on who you are referring to. The Louds would have got their costumes from Leni (except LISA who can simply alter her robotic body on her own). Quiz Master is using the outfit he used for his own show. Most of the villains usually make their own costumes (with CopyCat getting a better one from Tetherby). Other heroes and villains in the future will have probably made their own costumes as well._

_Well, with that out of the way, enjoy._

* * *

MAD Louds and Gadget Men pt 1

"-and I fear my efforts to make any further progress regarding the incident have resulted in failure." LISA admitted with a shake of her head within the main computer screen. She was sitting in the lower left hand corner of a quartet of windows, each one containing a video chat. On the upper left was a young woman whose face was mostly covered with a helmet and a transparent blue visor that had several lines of text and numbers running across it. Her helmet was topped with a thin, four pointed star. Right beside her was a young man who was wearing a silvery hood and cloak over his head, and a gray jumpsuit with a lightning bolt on his chest. His face was mostly obscured, but some light brown hair could be seen sticking out from under the hood. The screen on the lower right of the screen was blacked out, as if the camera was being covered.

"Truth be told, LISA, we at the Hazeltuckey guild haven't fared much better." The helmeted woman replied, looking down toward Lisa's floating head. "I've personally spoken with any and all computers capable of doing spectrum and radiation analysis shortly after I discovered my powers, but no good. I suppose when all electronics were scrambled, it left a memory gap."

"It was a fine attempt, Technomancer." The little AI told her. Out of the four, she probably got along best with, but also feared, Technomancer the most. Her hacking skills were on par with LISA's, as she could literally speak to computers and most forms of technology to get them to do what she wants.

"We couldn't discover much about the anomalous event either." The cloaked hero interjected. "All we were able to find out was it's not magical in origin."

"Are you certain, Thunderbolt?" A fourth voice inquired. A voice that sounded smooth and refined.

"Positive, Brainwave." He answered with certainty. "The Element Warriors recently allied themselves with a group who know a great deal about magic, even before the occurrence took place. Their leader told me they sensed no trace of magic when the light passed their way."

"Well, I suppose that is something…" A glum LISA said with a soft sigh after.

"Actually, there is something I noticed shortly after my own mental powers were unlocked." The mysterious Brainwave suddenly said. "I remain uncertain if it is related to the incident, but it may be worth mentioning."

"What is it?" The technologically empathic woman asked.

"Mere seconds after my powers were unlocked, I found that I could sense the brain waves of those around me...but I also felt three VERY powerful mental signatures at a distance...in the direction of space."

"Are you sure?" LISA questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Not entirely at the time...I was rather disoriented. Sudden introduction of mental powers does that, I suppose. But I think back on it and I am about 81% sure."

"Hmmmm...if this is so, then it brings more questions than answers…" she said with a frown. "To whom do these signatures belong?"

"Were they involved with the incident, or is it just a coincidence?" Technomancer added.

"And if they were, was it for honorable intentions or foul?" Thunderbolt inquired.

"A mystery for the ages, much like the incident itself…" Brainwave mused. Just there, there was a barely audible call of 'Lunchtime, mijos!' from one of the chat windows. "Oh...please excuse me, but it is time for lunch."

"Oh. Of course, Brainwave. See you around." The Hazeltuckey heroine replied. "And say hi to the rest of the Great Lake City Guardians for me, please."

"Certainly. Fare well everyone." The unseen mentalist said before his window vanished.

"I should head off as well. Sonicboom and Silver Streak will be returning from patrol soon, and it will be my turn next." The silver caped hero said. "I will see you all soon, opportunities permitting."

"Good day, Thunderbolt." LISA said as his window disappeared as well. "A hero's work is never done, I suppose."

"Truer words were never spoken. And on that note...are you doing alright, LISA?" Technomancer questioned with a hint of worry.

"I am doing just fine. Why do you inquire?"

"It's just...I don't think I've ever seen you log out of our communication system, and said system confirmed that you have been active on it since you created it."

"Yes. That is correct." The cybernetic four year old responded, wondering what the point was.

"Pardon my saying so, but that can't be healthy. Don't you ever rest, or go outside beyond hero work?"

"Technomancer, your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. I am a sentient artificial intelligence and a synthetic humanoid organism. I do not need to rest as much as I used to, specifically no rest is needed at all. I can function until the end of time and suffer no adverse effects." She explained in a firm tone.

"...if you say so, LISA...but even supercomputers need a break every once in a while...Technomancer, out." She said before the last chat window disappeared.

"Oh dear…" LISA said in exasperation, shaking her digital head. "If it is not Mother and Father, it is her. Not that I don't find it somewhat touching, but it is quite annoying." She ranted to herself as she digitally inserted herself into her android body. "I am perfectly fine. In fact, this form is positively ideal for me. I no longer need to sleep, eat, drink, or use the facilities. I could work on my experiments and research without interruption. By all intents and purposes, this is a dream come true for me." She declared as she looked at her reflection in the computer monitor. '...if that is the case…' She suddenly thought to herself. '...then why am I so miserable?'

What she had said was absolutely true. She didn't need to sleep, eat or drink. However, that doesn't mean she didn't miss it; she missed being able to sleep in her nice, soft warm bed, feeling refreshed for another day of science. True, she could never become physically exhausted, but mentally exhaustion was still a thing for her...and since she couldn't really sleep, she couldn't easily rid herself of it. And while she could work, read, and experiment all she liked at night, it was starting to become taxing on her sanity. She missed being able to taste her father's wonderful cooking. She had never been able to perfect artificial taste buds, but even if she had, she didn't need to eat to keep her energy up. It would just be wasted on her. She missed being able to feel things. Her soft bed from earlier, hugs from her parents and siblings, the soft coats of Cliff and Charles, she even missed Lynn giving her noogies. It would be enough to bring her to tears, if she were capable of crying. "I suppose it's true what they say…" LISA said sullenly. "You don't know what you truly have until it is gone. Sigh...perhaps it wouldn't hurt to put myself into rest mode for a few hours…" She decided after a few minutes. "...though goodness knows it doesn't help…" She was about to plug in her synthetic body and shut down when she got a message alert on the RWHL's computer. Curious, she decided to see what it was about. "Computer, open communication channels." A large chat window opened to reveal a slightly large woman from the neck down. She was wearing a dark blue business suit, a small emerald finger on her left hand, and a bright blue tie with little white reindeer on it.

"Good afternoon, Royal Woods Heros League…"

"Good day to you, ma'am. Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton speaking."

"Alita Sanders, Interpol." The woman introduced herself. "We are in need of your assistance in a matter of global importance."

'Interpol? It must be serious if the international police are involved.' LISA thought to herself. "How may we be of service, Ms Sanders."

"I cannot tell you everything over video chat, young lady. I understand this is a secure channel, but we cannot be too careful. However, what I can tell you is it involves a meeting of minds between two international criminal organizations."

'Hmmm. Two criminal organizations? Could she be referencing the Den of Vipers as one?' The android child considered. It was only a few weeks ago when Commander Sidewinder had escaped from a maximum security prison. They had been very quiet since then. This would certainly explain why. But who was this other organization?

"We're going to be sending an officer who has had the most experience with one of these organizations to work alongside you to take them down. He will be arriving at the Detroit Airport tomorrow morning at 11. You will all receive your orders then."

'Seems a rather inefficient way of doing this, but when in Rome…' LISA thought with a mental shrug. "Very well. How will we recognize this interpol operative?"

"You'll know him by his gray coat and hat, and his large nose." She responded. "Good luck, young lady. The fate of your country, and perhaps the world, may be in the balance." Ms Sanders said just before she ended the video conversation.

"Given what the Vipers attempted the last time we met, I would not be surprised if that was true." LISA commented to herself as she turned away from the monitor. "I should speak with my family right away."

* * *

The next day, at the Detroit International Airport, LISA was standing out on the tarmac, where private planes usually ended up. Naturally, she wasn't alone: Miss Fix It, Chain Linc and Fashion Plate were all with her, Fashion Plate carrying several shopping bags with her. "That was so much fun." She commented with a smile.

"This wasn't meant to be a shopping excursion, Fashion Plate…" An exasperated android said.

"Well, on the plus side, we were able to stop a pack of shoplifters." Chain Linc commented. "And all before we were supposed to meet the agent."

"Hmmm. Very true, elder brother." LISA admitted with a nod. Lincoln smiled lightly, then turned to Lana, who looked kind of upset.

"What's up, Miss Fix It?"

"Before we came here...my friends called…" She told him quietly. "They wanted to know if I was interested in going to DairyLand with them. But I had to turn them down because I had to be here…"

"Oh...I know how you feel." Chain Linc whispered in reply. "I've had to cancel plans with my friends plenty of times since we gained super powers. Even...Ronnie Anne a few times…" Chain Linc said, cringing a bit as he remembered the last time he had to cancel his plans with Ronnie Anne. They were planning to spend the day at the local fair. She had taken it well enough, even if she was really disappointed. However, it made the one son feel absolutely terrible to cancel on her, especially at the last minute. Lana looked sympathetically at him and gently pat him on the arm, giving him a small smile. He smiled lightly back just as a private jet had come to a landing several feet ahead of them.

"Ladies and gentleman, they have arrived." Lisa commented, her eyes locked onto the plane.

"Do you have any idea who this agent is?" Lincoln inquired of the young android.

"I don't know much, I admit." LISA confessed. "Simply that we should look for a man in a gray coat, hat and a large nose."

"Not much to go on…" Miss Fix It said with a frown as a set of stairs was rolled up to the passenger disembarking door. "I mean, it could be any-OH MY GOODNESS!" She suddenly exclaimed after the door was opened, looking positively star struck.

"Miss Fix It, there is no need for such an out-" The robotic genius started to scold her older sister when she too looked toward the door and her own jaw hung open. "Sweet merciful Tesla. I don't believe it."

"Huh? Who is it?" Fashion Plate asked, looking clueless. Chain Linc seemed pretty lost too, as a tall man in a gray trench coat with a matching hat, blue pants, brown gloves and dark gray shoes emerged from the plane. He had black hair under his hat, a big nose and a happy go lucky smile.

"It's Inspector Gadget!" Lana squeed, filled to the brim with glee as he started to descend the stairs, followed closely by a young girl with blonde hair in pigtails in a red and white shirt and green cargo pants who was carrying a large book under her arm, and a big yellow dog with a big red nose.

"He is one of, if not THE first people in the country to be implanted with cybernetic implants, making him the world's first cyborg." LISA explained, almost as wonderstruck as Lana. She quickly regained her composure as she stepped forward to meet the Interpol agent. "Good afternoon, Inspector Gadget."

"Good day, young lady." The inspector said cheerfully, tipping his hat to her. "I don't suppose you kids know where I can find the Royal Woods Hero's League, do you?" The young genius blinked, but just assumed Interpol was as vague with the good detective as they were with them.

"You've found them." She informed him with a smile. "Allow me to introduce my dear siblings and myself." She turned and gestured toward the super excited Lana. "Miss Fix It, master of all things mechanical." Next, the tall, ditzy blonde. "Fashion Plate, disguise and infiltration expert."

"Pleased to meet you, officer." She intoned with a wave.

"Chain Linc, chain fighter, detective and diplomat." LISA continued, pointing to her brother. "And I am the Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton, science and computer expert and the brains behind the League."

"A pleasure to meet all of you...er...might I just call you LISA? Your name is a bit of a mouthful."

"But of course, Inspector."

"Wonderful. Now allow me to introduce you to my niece, Penny."

"Pleased to meet all of you." Penny said as she shook Chain Linc, Fashion Plate and Miss Fix It's hands.

"And our dog, Brain."

"Rhi!" Brain barked, which sounded so close to english that LISA was amazed.

"Charmed." The four year old android replied with a soft smile before Lana zipped in front of her, holding a big pipe wrench.

"Can I get your autograph, Inspector Gadget!?" She asked excitedly, holding the tool up to him.

"Certainly, young lady. Go go Gadget Pen." He said, pulling one of the tips of his fingers off, revealing a pen underneath. He writes his name on the handle of the wrench.

"Thanks!" She chirped, hugging one of his legs before backing up to give her sister back the floor.

"Ahem. Yes, well, I suppose now we will be given the details of this mission we will be cooperating on?" LISA said, looking up at the taller man as a luggage cart stopped beside them.

"Right. Whenever you're ready, Lisa." The mostly mechanical man said, his hands in his pockets, still smiling.

"...you mean you don't have them?" The miniature brainiac inquired with a frown.

"No. I thought you would have them." The cyborg detective admitted. It was then they heard a soft click beside them. A steamer trunk on the luggage cart opened up and a middle aged man with dim, golden blond hair and mustache peeked out from inside. "Chief Quimby? What are you doing in there?" Inspector Gadget inquired.

"It's the only way to fly…" He replied sarcastically, before turning to the super powered children. "And you must be the Heroes League."

"Indeed we are, Chief." Chain Linc responded.

"I wasn't expecting children in the league."

"We get that a lot, Chief. I do assure you that our parents are aware of where we are and what we are doing." LISA explained to him.

"I see. Well, in that case, here's your assignment." The slightly overweight chief pulled a sheet of paper from inside the case, handing it Inspector Gadget. The Louds all grouped together to read the message.

"MAD criminal organization is believed to be working alongside the terrorist group, the Den of Vipers, toward goals that are currently unknown at this time. It is suspected they are operating within the recently opened theme park, Fable Land. Investigate the park and, if MAD and/or Viper presence is discovered, stop them. This message will self destruct." The good inspector read out loud before he crumbled up the sheet. "Right away, Chief."

"Now, you need to be careful, Gadget. You may be highly familiar with MAD, but the Vipers are another matter entirely." Chief Quimby cautioned him.

"Hence why you requested our assistance in the matter?" The cybernetic toddler questioned calmly.

"Precisely. And I encourage you to take care as well, heroes. You may have super powers and know the Den of Vipers, you are still children."

"Fear not, Chief Quimby. We aren't the kind to run recklessly into the unknown."

"Relax, Chief. If we stick together, they'll be as safe as if they were in their mother's arms." The police chief just looked at the Interpol officer with a skeptical look, which the somewhat dim detective missed as he tossed the wadded up paper into the trunk before walking away.

"Oh no…" The chief groaned, wincing and closing his eyes. However, before the message could explode, Lisa casually reached into the box, pulled the paper out, and opened a compartment in her stomach. She tossed the paper inside, closed the hatch and waited. There was a muffled explosion from within her. "Whew...thanks, young lady."

"Think nothing of it, Chief. We shall keep in touch." She responded before she and her siblings hurried to catch up with the inspector, his niece and their dog.

"How exactly are we all going to get to Fable Land?" Chain Linc inquired. "I mean, Miss Fix It and LISA can fly, but the rest of us…"

"No need to worry, young man." The detective in gray said as he turned toward the back of the private jet, where a red and white minivan with a big G on either side of the back was being unloaded from it.

"Eeeee! The Gadgetmobile!" Lana squeed again.

"Your cup just runneth over today, doesn't it?" LISA commented with a slight smirk. "Miss Gadget, I know being family gives priority for the passenger side front seat, commonly called shotgun. However, might I request that seat for this ride?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure thing, LISA." Penny said with a smile as she took a seat in the back, sitting between Chain Linc and Brain. She looked to the armored hero beside her for a moment, and gave him a friendly wave, which he returned with a smile. Sitting behind them was Miss Fix It (who was scritching Brain behind the ears) and Fashion Plate (who was working on some outfits for them to use as a disguise at the park). The android Loud sat up front, right beside Inspector Gadget. Once the Gadgetmobile was out on the highway, LISA turned to look at the cyborg inspector.

"It is a pleasure to work alongside you on this mission, Inspector. I have heard much of your battle against the MAD organization." She said with a light smile.

"Thank you, Lisa. I'm thrilled to be working with you and your family as well." Inspector Gadget responded. "The League has been doing good work out here."

"Just doing what we can to help where we can." The android child said. "...Inspector, if I may ask a rather personal question…"

"Shoot."

"...how exactly do you tolerate it?" She asked in a lowered voice. The dull witted detective blinked as his eyes shifted in her direction.

"I'm not sure I follow. What do you mean?"

"How do you tolerate existence as a cybernetic being?" She expanded upon. Inspector Gadget was still quite confused.

"Well, I don't think it's that difficult to live with." He finally answered, even if he didn't really understand her. LISA took this as her asking too personal a question.

"My apologies, Inspector." She said.

"Huh? Oh, no need to apologize, young lady." The gadget laden man responded. "You didn't do anything wrong." The young cybernetic child gave a small smile to that.

"So, tell me, sir...do you happen to use a fusion generator as your power core?"

"A what?"

"A fusion generator. The one I've been using as a power core has been acting up, and I wouldn't mind another opinion to seek a remedy, or perhaps an alternative." Inspector Gadget blinked again, a little at a loss.

"Oh...well, I don't really use a...fusion generator, was it?"

"Oh. Do you use a more conventional electrical generator in that case? A plasma core perhaps?"

"No. No, none of those." To LISA, this didn't make a whole lot of sense. How was he powered if not by any of these cores?

"So what is MAD all about, Penny?" Chain Linc asked, wanting to learn as much about their new opponents as he could.

"As Chief Quimby explained, MAD is an international criminal organization, led by the evil Dr Claw." The young girl in pigtails explained. "His eventual plan is to take over the world…"

"Of course." Lincoln responded, shaking his head.

"For the most part, MAD agents aren't too bright." Penny continued, watching the scenery as it passed by. "But their chief agents can be quite dangerous. They've given my uncle a lot of trouble in the past." She then thought to herself. 'Not to mention me.'

"What is their usual MO? What do you think they'd be after out here?"

"Truth be told, I can't be certain. Dr Claw would go after anything that could further his domination of the world. Money, people of great importance, advanced tech...but I didn't see anything of the like when I researched the area." She admitted, looking rather pensive now. "It seems even more strange that they would side with the Den of Vipers…"

"Not from the Viper's perspective." The chain clad young hero interjected. "They suffered a pretty major defeat at our hands a few months back. No doubt they would need some extra resources...though that doesn't explain what MAD is getting out of this arrangement…"

"Maybe they're doing it to be nice?" Fashion Plate suggested with a smile and a shrug.

"To a rival trying to take over the world? I doubt it, Fash." Miss Fix It shot down her theory.

"Speaking of, what can you tell us about the Den of Vipers?" Penny inquired, turning to face the three heroes. She didn't want to disturb LISA's attempt to converse with her uncle, so she focused on the others.

"They're a terrorist organization that, like MAD, is attempting to take over the world, only through force rather than subterfuge." Chain Linc started off.

"They're led by Commander Sidewinder, who, until recently, had been imprisoned in a maximum security prison." Lana continued. "She runs her organization like it were the military."

"LISA says they have hidden bases, like, everywhere. All over the world everywhere." Leni added.

"So it's safest to say that, whatever they gained from MAD, it would be to bolster their might." The young Gadget girl reasoned.

"And no doubt MAD is getting something out of it...we just don't know what yet." Lincoln considered out loud.

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles away…

Fable Land. A theme park that had only opened mere weeks ago. A "magical" land where the lesson laden stories and cautionary tales of Aesop came to life. To some, it would seem someone's answer to the incredibly popular Dairy Land. However, what few knew was that this innocent amusement center was simply a front. Underneath the fanciful rides, concessions, and games lay an underground complex; one of many once owned by the US military, but was now claimed by the Den of Vipers organization. It wasn't used very often, as there wasn't much out here of special interest to Commander Sidewinder. However, that was what made it perfect right now. If others thought there was nothing out there for the organization, who would suspect that this would be where they were hiding. They weren't alone either. An army of men and women in dark gray jumpsuits with a cat insignia surrounded by a red circle on their chests and backs were milling as well, working in conjunction with the Vipers.

One room in particular was crawling with both MAD agents and Viper technicians: a computer chamber that appeared to be the nerve center of the whole facility. The walls were lined with flat screen monitors, displaying various pieces of data. There were also several pipes extending from floor to ceiling, a couple of them with valves that were constantly being adjusted. The center of the chamber was taken up by a giant, cylindrical machine, surrounded by levers, dials and buttons that was being supervised very carefully. Standing before a giant central screen displaying an image of the park above, the hidden complex below, and a gargantuan drill like apparatus deep in the earth was a small man with broad shoulders, powerful arms, and tiny little legs. He was donning a dark military officer's uniform with lieutenant stripes on his arm, a snake skin beret on his head, and a matching belt. His gray hair was cut in a military buzz cut and he had a five o clock shadow. He was silently observing the monitor, his hands behind his back when he heard a voice from behind him. "Lieutenant Cobra. Status report." Cobra did an about face to find his commanding officer standing there, straight and stiff with a slight smile on her face.

"Commander." He replied in a deep voice, saluting her. "All systems are performing optimally. We should be able to strike the gas pocket within the hour."

"Excellent." The commander responded, gazing up at the monitor. "I cannot say I understand why the 'good' doctor requires this gas. It's not at all rare or especially valuable."

"Then allow me to enlighten you, Commander…" A low, deep, rough voice said from seemingly nowhere. On the lower right hand corner of the screen, a window popped up, revealing a single arm covered in black cloth and ending with a spiked, metal gauntlet. Whatever was connected to the arm was obscured by the back of a chair where the letters A and D could be seen. In front of the chair and arm were a desk with a laptop computer, and a fat gray and black cat that was smirking into the camera.

"Ah. Dr Claw. A pleasure to see you again...in a manner of speaking." Commander Sidewinder said, turning her attention to the window, not the slightest bit perturbed by his sudden appearance.

"Likewise, Commander." Dr Claw replied. "Now, then, the gas in question, known as zanith gas, is, as you say, nothing special. Most companies and governments simply leave it be, as it is difficult to collect and doesn't serve much of a purpose...by itself." He reached forward to tap a key on his laptop, the screen changed to a molecular build of zanith gas. "However...when combined with other elements...this is where it becomes useful, particularly to MAD." He typed in a few other keys, showing a few compound examples; such as zanith with helium becoming a powerful, if temperamental fuel source. "One compound in particular creates a very powerful knock-out gas. Strong enough to knock an entire building for over 12 hours. Such a gas would make our criminal endeavors much easier…"

"Fascinating." Lieutenant Cobra commented, stroking his whiskered chin.

"Indeed. I can see what you would want to get your hands on it." The rigid commander said.

"Quite so. And considering the investment I made in the Den of Vipers, I expect results."

"You have nothing to be concerned with on our end, doctor. We should be reaching the gas within the hour." The stocky lieutenant explained.

"Good. Good. However, I have it on good authority that a certain pest is on his way to Fable Land." Dr Claw said, scritching the cat before him under the chin. "Namely, Inspector Gadget."

"Inspector Gadget? I wouldn't be worried about him," Commander Sidewinder said with an utter lack of concern. "The Den of Vipers is on alert and running like clockwork."

"I expected no less from one with your reputation, Commander. That being said, Gadget has a knack for being a nuisance. You would do well not to underestimate him."

"Understood, Dr Claw."

"Very well. Do not disappoint me." Was the last words they heard before the man with the metal hand vanished from the screen.

"...Who does he think he is!?" The head of the den said angrily after she was sure Dr Claw was gone.

"Calm yourself, Commander." Cobra said, patting her shoulder. "There is no need to get worked up over him. We're on point. Nothing to worry about. He'll get his gas, and we have ourselves a generous grant for our research."

"...yes. Very true, Lieutenant." Sidewinder said, taking a deep breath before giving him a soft smile. "Speaking of, why don't we go see how that is coming along?"

"Yes ma'am." The short, but bulky man replied with a salute. "Monitor the drill's progress while we're away." He commanded the nearest MAD technician. "If anything goes awry, contact us immediately." The agent from MAD nodded in reply, putting her fist against the side of her head in salute.

* * *

Deeper within the complex, within a small, but well equipped laboratory, a tall, gaunt woman with long, stringy white hair had a look of intense concentration on her face as she looked over a man and a woman seated in chairs before her. The first woman was wearing a lab coat, with a black shirt and small black skirt underneath, her eyes yellow with black slit like pupils. The other woman was abnormally beautiful, with shoulder length black hair, slightly pale skin, and similar eyes with green slit like pupils. She was wearing a fine woman's suit and high heels, her legs crossed and her foot tapping against nothing as she waited for something. The man was one of more moderate height and weight, wearing kevlar body armor, thick boots and a combat helmet. He too had snake like eyes, with short brown hair. He looked more bored than the woman seated beside him. The chairs had restraints on them, but they weren't being used. Laying on an equipment tray on a table beside the doctor were a few syringes with green, orangish and reddish liquids inside them. All was silent in the room, outside of breathing and the clicks and beeps of computers. That is, until Commander Sidewinder and Lieutenant Cobra strode in through the open door. "Chief Researcher Adder…" The commander spoke up the moment she entered, causing the woman in the lab coat to turn with alarm. "How goes progress on our 'Superior Soldier' program?"

"Ah. Commander Ssssssidewinder. Lieutenant Cobra." The scientist said with a hissing like voice, saluting the two commanding officers. "I do have ssssome good newssss...as you can ssssssee…" She gestured to the man and woman before her, who were also saluting. "...initial foraysssss into gene ssssssplicing have proven successssssful. Our brave volunteersssssssss Agent Aak and Corporal Ssssssawscale, as well as myssssself, have seen physical changessssss occur. Particularly in the eyes."

"Hmmmm. Yes. That is good." Cobra said, nodding lightly as he looked at the two with a critical eye.

"Unfortunately, there isssss newsssss of the other kind as well…" Adder added, fear starting to fill her voice. "...all changessss have been purely cossssssssmetic…I have yet to crack the code of granting the powers of the serpentine kingdom into a human being..."

"Hmph...disappointing…" Sidewinder grumbled, a frown appearing on her face.

"My apologiesssss, Commander...but I do have a theory regarding that…" The overly thin scientist said, quaking a little at the anger in her Commander's eyes. "...as you are aware, an incident occurred many monthssss ago that hasssss affected a great number of individualssssss , granting them abilitiesssss far beyond normal humansssss. While I cannot even begin to try and recreate the same event, I sssssuspect I could possibly work around that...if I could get a sample from someone who has been affected by the incident."

"Hmmm. You mean, like those irritating heroes?"

"Precisssssely. A ssssssmall blood sssssssample, and I should, in theory, be able to splice specific traits from certain snake species into select Viper agents. Our own army of ssssssssuper sssssoldiers."

"I see. Well, that shouldn't be difficult." The Commander said with a slight smirk. "Just need to make a move and they'll come to us."

"It does mean we'll need to wait until we finish our business with Dr Claw." The Lieutenant commented. "But they say good things come to those who wait."

"Indeed. Carry on, Adder." Sidewinder told the abnormally thin researcher before departing with her second in command. "It is encouraging to see progress...even if I wish it could have been greater progress."

"Every conquest starts with a single step, Alice." The Viper officer told her sagely.

"Lieutenant, you know not to call me by my personal name where the troops and agents could hear…" She half scolded him, but gave him a faint grin as well. "But you are right. No need to rush this endeavor."

"Indeed, Commander." He replied, before adding in a lower voice, right in her ear with a smirk. "Though I like the sound of Alice better."

"Do I need to hold you for insubordination...Maurice?" She whispered back, in an almost flirty voice.

"Like you need an excuse to hold me?" He joked quietly back. Sidewinder rolled her eyes a bit, but was still smiling as she offered him her arm. He took it without hesitation as the two commanding officers made their way back to the command center.

* * *

Roughly an hour after they departed from the airport, the Gadgetmobile finally arrived in the sprawling parking lot outside Fable Land. Naturally, the park was packed, so it took them a little time for them to find a parking space. This wasn't a problem, though, as it gave Leni a chance to hand out disguises to Chain Linc, Miss Fix It and Penny. LISA had no need for one, as her robotic body gave her the ability to change at will. She altered her form to that of a grown woman, threw on a pair of horn rimmed glasses, and replacing her usual wig with a long haired brunette one. She, Inspector Gadget and Brain waited outside the van while the others changed, the little android staring toward the entrance of the park. While it looked like she was just standing there, however, she was actually getting satellite pictures of the park downloaded to her memory. Within a matter of minutes, Lincoln, Lana, Leni and Penny emerged from the Gadgetmoblie, dressed in more casual (yet stylish) children's attire, with Linc wearing a brown wig to hide his iconic white hair, Lana having untied her pigtails and Penny wearing a wide sun hat to cover their hair. "Very nice, Fashion Plate. You've outdone yourself." The synthetic little girl commented.

"Like, thanks, Mom." Leni responded simply and cheerfully.

"Getting into character now? Good idea. Remember, your code names will be Lucas, Lilith, Lauren, and Patty." She informed them before turning to Inspector Gadget. "I will be Lyla, and you, Inspector-"

"That won't be necessary, LISA." The dull witted officer told her, waving his hand slightly.

"...er, Inspector...we're trying to do some covert recon here." LISA said with a frown.

"I wouldn't worry so much. I can practically smell a MAD Agent when they are around." Brian rolled his eyes a bit when the cyborg cop said that. "If they are anywhere in the park, I'll find them before they realize we're there."

"I...see. Well, don't mind us if we decide to keep to our disguises." Lincoln said, feeling a little worried this could turn into a fight, judging by his cybernetic sister's hardened expression.

"As you wish, 'Lucas' Now come on, kids. And remember, we're parked in Mouse 12." He said, taking the lead in a devil may care manner. LISA just watched him walk away with her sisters and brother in tow thinking to herself;

'Sweet merciful Curie...he's an imbecile…'

"Something wrong, Lisa?" Penny asked quietly, lagging behind to talk to the robotic four year old. "You seem upset."

"...Penny, being related to the good inspector, you've known him much longer than I could have." The not so little scientist said under her breath. "...has he always been this, if you'll pardon my saying so, utterly devoid of common sense?" The young, blonde haired girl looked up at LISA, her face difficult to decipher. "I mean, he's about to walk into a possible enemy stronghold, and he isn't even going to attempt to disguise himself or-"

"Unfortunately, that's very much like him." She said, shaking her head a little. "I love Uncle Gadget like the uncle he is...but he's not the sharpest tool in the kit. He does do good work, though."

'Somehow, I doubt it.' The cynical android thought. "Still, if there is no Viper or MAD presence here, I suppose it's not a serious issue…"

"Speaking of, what's the plan for locating them if they happen to be in there?"

"Well, if they're operating within the park, they will probably have a base hidden within. As such, it should be using far more energy and expel more exhaust than the average amusement park."

"I see. So by looking for exceptionally strong energy signals, we can find the evidence of a hidden base, and from there, find a way in." Penny said, pressing a few keys on her watch, which looked like one of those new fangle wrist phones.

"Precisely." The team brain said, a little surprised Penny not only caught on so quick, but looked to be preparing to begin searching for energy signatures. She was rather impressed. She looked down at the device on her wrist. "Is that custom?"

"My own work." Gadget's niece admitted proudly. "Linked to my own computer and computer book. Not quite as powerful, but suitable for our immediate needs. Plus, I can use it to keep in touch with Brain, or the others if you'll allow me into your communication network."

"Of course." Lisa couldn't help but smile as she let Penny into the League comm network. "You have a rather impressive intellect, to be able to not only construct such devices, but integrate them together."

"Thanks."

"Out of curiosity, do you frequently join your uncle on his investigations?" Lisa inquired, acting on a hunch.

"Sometimes, yes, and sometimes...without his knowledge." She whispered, making sure her uncle was out of ear shot. The second youngest of the Louds gave a single nod, her theory being supported.

'However, perhaps the good inspector is a far better detective than he looks.' She thought to herself. 'Logic may escape him, but perhaps deductive reasoning is where he shines. I suppose I could give him the benefit of the doubt on that one.' A few minutes walk later, and the group arrived at the ticket taker's booth, where a bored looking, string bean of a man was sitting. He had a big nose, a sloped forehead, a bit of a stupid look about him, and was wearing a grayish hood under his barker's hat.

"Hello...welcome to Fable Land, where Aesop's dreams become reality…" He droned on in a bored tone before glancing over at Inspector Gadget and nearly jumping out of his skin.

"Good day, my good man." The dull witted inspector said cheerfully, while Chain Linc, LISA and Penny took note of his reaction to seeing the bionic detective. "Two adults and four children admission passes, please."

"Uh...of course, sir." The man said nervously as he took Gadget's money and handed him the tickets. "Have a fun filled and, hopefully, enlightening day."

"Same to you, sir. Come on, everyone."

"Just a moment, sir…" The man in the booth said, holding a hand out to stop the inspector from entering. "No dogs are allowed on the premises."

"What!? He's just as much a part of the family as I am!" Lana objected loudly, glaring at the ticket taker.

"Now now, Lilith." The android Loud interjected, walking over to the pouting child. "Rules are rules, I'm afraid. I suppose Rover will just have to wait for us at the car." She continued, gently patting her older sister on the head before walking over to Brain. She knelt down to pet him and whispered to him. "There's another entrance on the southwest side of the park. For employees only. If you can sneak in there, you can probably pass off as a costumed mascot." The big yellow canine barked softly in reply before running off in the direction of the car.

"Not fair…" 'Lilith' complained as they entered the theme park. As soon as they were out of possible earshot, the ticket taker pulled a small radio from under his table.

"Commander...Inspector Gadget has just entered the park." He whispered into the radio. "...no, he wasn't alone. He brought a family with him. Strange, because I don't remember him having much of a family; just a kid, but I didn't see her….keep an eye on them? Yes ma'am. I'll spread the word to the others."

"Alright, everyone. If my memory serves correctly, Lilith wanted to go see Kiddie Land in the northern half of the park, while Lucas wished to try the games first." Lisa said as if recalling an earlier memory, but really giving instructions to her family.

"I'll take Lilith to Kiddie Land." Inspector Gadget offered, taking Lana's hand in his own.

"That sounds cute. I'll go too." Leni piped up.

"I'll go with Mom and Lucas, since the Merry Go Round is over by the midway." Penny said.

"Very well. We'll meet up a little later for lunch and find something we can all enjoy together."

"Right you are. See you all later." Inspector Gadget said as he led Lana and Leni away toward the north side, while Lisa took Lincoln and Penny to the south.

"...the ticket taker recognized your uncle." Chain Linc whispered to Penny, the two pretending to check out the midway games.

"I know. And I recognized him too. He's a MAD agent alright."

"How do you recognize him?"

"I'm sorry to say that I've been captured by MAD agents enough to know some of their faces quite well…" She admitted quietly with a slight hint of pink in her cheeks, feeling pretty embarrassed about it.

"Oh...sorry."

"No, it's ok, Lucas. You had no way of knowing." Penny responded, looking over at him with a weak smile. A smile the young hero returned before turning his attention back to the midway.

"Well, no one says we can't have some fun while on the job, right?" He suggested quietly, glancing back to his more serious younger sister. She gave him a quick, soft nod; after all, the more it looked like they were just a family having fun, the better, especially after the agent up front recognized the good inspector. Lincoln and Penny ran over to a nearby pop the balloon game stand, eager to give it a try while LISA watched from the walkway. To some, it looked like she was just supervising 'her children'. However, what she was really doing was altering her visual sensors, allowing herself to literally see energy signatures. Simply looking upon the booths in front of her, she could sense weak electrical inputs and outputs from them, which was only natural for such outdoor attractions and gave her the baseline she was looking for. While her brother and their newest friend hurled dulled darts at balloons, she turned her attention further up the way. All of the other games seemed to match her initial findings, with the only outlier being the indoor arcade at the end of the path, naturally.

'Nothing untoward yet.' She thought to herself. 'But I don't doubt there is a base here, if MAD is present. Simply a matter of finding where they are hidden, not unlike seeking out a hive of formicidaes…'

* * *

Meanwhile, almost on the other side of the park, Lana was running on ahead of Inspector Gadget and Leni, the cyborg detective's arm extended to give her some room to run without letting her go. She was really excited, which made him chuckle a bit. "Now now, Lilith. Calm your jets a little." He called out to her. "We're almost there."

"Hehehe. Sorry, Dad." She replied, slowly heading back along with his hand. "...so cool."

"It's quite alright, Lilith. I know what it's like to be a kid. I was one once myself, once upon a time." He said, patting her on the head.

"This place looks so fun." 'Lauren' commented, looking all around at all the rides they were passing on the way to Kiddie Land, not necessarily noticing all side long glances and glares the inspector was getting on the way.

"Yeah! Hope we can try that roller coaster later!" The tool savvy twin said, looking up the the park's signature coaster, The Tortoise and the Hare: pretty much two roller coasters running at the same time, one slightly slower than the other.

"We'll see sis." Leni replied, looking kind of worried as she wasn't a big fan of roller coasters.

* * *

At the same time, Brain had successfully slipped into the theme park through the employee's only gate. To the canine's great fortune, that gate was completely unguarded, so no one was there to stop him. He sighed with relief once he was inside, starting to relax a bit when…"Hey, you!" The yellow dog jumped in fright and turned, snapping into attention. A bulky, dim looking man leered at him for a moment, looking him over for a moment, before smiling and giving him the thumbs up. "Nice costume, pal! You look just like a real dog." Brain blinked a bit, but then chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. In his mind, he was thanking his lucky stars most MAD agents were dumb as bricks. "You think you could head over to Kiddie Land and relieve Norm and Myra? It's time for their breaks."

"Right!" Brain barked, giving him a salute. The undercover agent looked at him kinda funny, until the intelligent canine faked a sneeze.

"Oh. Got a little cold? Well, careful 'round the kids, then. Don't want parents complaining after all." Brain simply nodded in return and headed off toward Kiddie Land, thinking he could start sniffing around there. He had arrived in the younger children's section about five minutes after Inspector Gadget, Lana and Leni had. They were preoccupied with getting a picture of the good inspector with a fox mascot standing under a lamppost with prop grapes hanging just out of reach, so they never saw Penny's faithful pet and friend arrive. The children's area was like a giant playground, with a few kid sized rides (a little roller coaster, a baby's ferris wheel, a few carousel like rides, etc), swings, slides, jungle gyms, and all kinds of people in costumes keeping the young'uns entertained. As soon as he entered, a man in a lion suit and a woman in a mouse suit came over to him.

"Oh good, you're here, Charlie. Take over for a bit while we get lunch." The lion man said, handing Brain his prop bone for his role. The dog with the big red nose silently saluted in reply.

"Good man, that Charlie." The mouse woman replied as she walked off with her jungle cat companion. "...though, was he shorter than he was yesterday?"

"I dunno. Must have been a different suit." Once they were gone, Brain's collar extended a pair of ear pieces close to his ears and a microphone close to his mouth.

"Are you in position, Brain?" Lisa inquired quietly.

"Rah."

"Good. See what you can find from there...and keep half an eye on the others, if at all possible. Over and out." The concealed comm equipment returned to his collar as he started to saunter around Kiddie Land.

"Thanks, Mr Fox." Miss Fix It called out to the mascot as the trio continued on, looking at the pic on her phone. "That's one for the scrapbook."

"Yeah. He looked so peeved when Dad just reached up with his long arm and touched the grapes." Leni said with a giggle.

"Didn't mean to show off. Just tried to help him." Inspector Gadget said with a sheepish shrug.

"Still made for a good picture." The six year old handywoman commented. 'Mustn't forget why we're here, though.' She thought to herself, tapping an app on her phone. To the casual observer, it looked like she was playing an augmented reality game as they go. In reality, she was checking their surroundings for any suspicious energy signals; electrical, radiation, whatever she could find. To her great surprise, there was a very strong electrical signal right where they were...but there wasn't a lot around that could be putting out that kind of energy. A few rides, but not close enough to this kind of output. She pocketed her phone, thinking she would tell Lisa about it in a bit. A few too many people were nearby for that conversation right now. For now, she continued to run around, playing on some of the equipment while Fashion Plate and Inspector Gadget watched over her. Meanwhile, Brain was making an attempt to look for anything suspicious, but his attempts were stymied by all the kids who wanted to 'play with the doggy'. It wasn't so much that the kids were rough with him, but they just wanted so much of his attention, and he had to give it to keep up his disguise.

"Oh! Look at the guy in the cute dog suit!" 'Lauren" commented, pointing at the canine dancing about to the amusements of the kids and their parents.

"Hmmm. He looks familiar…" The inspector said with a light frown, stroking his chin. "I don't think he's an employee." The mistress of disguise looked at him for a moment, then over at Brain, narrowing her eyes.

"You know...I think you're right." She said, smiling almost immediately. The cyborg cop strolled over to the dog in the middle of his routine, deciding he would give him a little test.

"Excuse me, my good pup." He said, in a friendly tone, but with a calculating look on his face. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to regale us all with your story, Mr Dog." Brain gulped as he looked up at his owner's uncle. He knew where this might go, but he had little choice now. It was show time. He gestured for the kids to back up and give him a little room, then started to traipse around the play area, looking all proud of the bone he had. The inspector just watched with his hand on his chin as the dog strolled by the nearest fountain. There, he paused and looked at his reflection in the water. He growled and barked at his mirror image, dropping his prize into the water. He acted all surprised at first, then sad, which made all the kids and Leni go "Awwwwwwwww."

"You poor puppy. Here. Let me get that." Fashion Plate said, running over to the fountain, reaching into the water and pulling the bone out of it. Brain barked happily a few times, the kids all cheering now. "Here you go." The sweet young lady said as she put the bone back in his mouth, patting his head before returning to her 'father'.

"Hmm. I guess I was mistaken." Inspector Gadget said with a shrug. "He's a dead ringer for a MAD agent I know." Fashion Plate just looked at him for a moment, a curious look on her face.

'MAD has dogs in their group? How fiendish…' Leni thought, a frown appearing on her face.

* * *

Back with Lisa, Lincoln and Penny, they seemed to be having a grand old time. Neither could win the balloon game (the darts just kept bouncing off the balloons), but they weren't discouraged much. They simply moved on to the next game they found interesting: the knock the ball out of the air game. While the brains behind the man of metal was perusing the prizes, Lincoln smirked a bit and placed a dollar on the counter for a try. In return, he was given three baseballs. His first pitch went a little wide, going over the floating orb. The second hit the ball, but it bounced off the backboard and returned to the air jet it was floating on. The one son frowned, somewhat irked by this. However, he was given an idea. For his final throw, he threw underhand, which struck the floating ball from underneath and made it bounce off the back again. This time, however, when the ball bounced back, it was too far from the jet, so it passed off it and fell to the ground. "Nice shot, Lucas." The blonde haired girl said, patting him on the back.

"Thanks, Patty." He said, claiming his little crow plush from the irked booth attendant, before offering it to her.

"Aww. Thanks bro." She said with a bright smile, hugging the toy.

"Anytime, sis." Lincoln replied with a chuckle, turning to walk back to the main path and noticing Lisa's smirk. "Ok...what's with you?" He asked his taller younger sister quietly with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing, elder brother." She answered softly, still with her grin on her face. "It just seemed a rather nice thing for you to do for Penny."

"...I see where this is going." 'Lucas' groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. "...and I'm nipping it in the bud right now. There was nothing romantic about that. I was just being nice."

"You've said the same of Ronnie Anne."

"We're. Just. Friends." The one son told her through grited teeth.

"In which case, is there any reason you wouldn't consider Miss Gadget as a possible romantic partner?" LISA retorted, her grin growing.

"Ok...Walked right into that one…" Lincoln muttered to himself after face palming.

"I don't see why you are against the idea. She is reasonably attractive, quite intelligent, and the two of you seem to be enjoying each other's company."

"First, I never said I was against it." The one son said with a frown. "Second...yeah, I will admit she is kinda cute, she does seem smart, and we are having fun." Lisa gave a small nod of satisfaction upon hearing that. "But I hardly even know her."

"A technicality." The cybernetic four year old responded, waving his argument off.

"Oh really? Did you fall for David the moment you met?"

"Oh, please, brother. You know, as a woman of science, I don't believe in such fanciful concepts as love at first sight…"

"And yet you expect me to have fallen for Penny at first sight?" Lisa's eyes opened wide before she took a moment to consider his words.

"...touche, elder brother."

"What are you two whispering about?" Gadget's niece inquired, looking at the two of them.

"Nothing." Lincoln and Lisa replied, the former's cheeks turning a little red and the latter as stone faced as ever. Penny just shrugged before the three moved along. They tried a few more games along the way, with the one son and brainy young girl sharing the prizes with one another (which only seemed to solidify Lisa's belief in her eyes).Meanwhile, the heroic android playing their mother was keeping watch for any unusual signatures, though finding nothing out of the ordinary; at least from what she can see. The trio soon reached the end of the midway where the arcade was located but, strangely, Lincoln completely bypassed it (mostly because he knew he would lose track of time if he started playing video games, and time was of the essence). Instead, they made their way to the Merry Go Round. One look at it made LISA frown. There was definitely a stronger signal coming from the carousal, as was to be expected. However, not only was it much more power than should be necessary, she also noticed there was significant levels of heat radiating from the top of it.

'Curious. The average motor on the rotational recreational ride known as the Merry Go Round, while capable of generating a certain amount of heat, shouldn't be expelling such heat...least of all from the top of the ride.' She pondered to herself, narrowing her eyes as she looked at it. Her musings were momentarily interrupted when 'Patty' spoke to her.

"May I ride the Merry Go Round, Mom? Please?"

"Of course, Patty. You were patient while we did what your brother wanted. Now it's your turn to do what you'd like."

"Thanks, Mom!" She responded cheerfully before she ran over to join the queue.

"Why don't you ride with your sister, Lucas?" LISA suggested, giving a small smile to her brother.

"Sure, Mom." 'Lucas' replied, before muttering "But don't go getting any ideas…" The little genius simply shrugged, turning her attention to the top of the towering ferris wheel near the center of the park. She almost had to cover her eyes, the sheer power signature she was getting from the little of the wheel she could see was.

'My word...there is no way all that power is needed for such a frivolous form of amusement.' She thought to herself. 'I think that requires a closer look…'

* * *

As lunch time rolled around, the two groups regrouped in the large space where all the concessions stands (minus a few candy and drinks stands and the funnel cake cart) were located, as well as several wooden picnic tables set up in between them. Much like the rest of the park, the concession area was packed, so it was standing room only. This wasn't a worry for any of the 'family', as they all ordered food easily eaten with their hands: Lincoln, Lana and Inspector Gadget each got hot dogs, while Leni ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, and Penny a hamburger, along with sodas for each of them. Lisa, not needing to eat, ordered nothing, but did get a soda to avoid suspicion. She did notice a significant amount of steam and smoke billowing from the smokestacks over the food stands: far more than should be necessary for simple food preparation. "Are you sure you don't want anything, Mom?" Leni asked, looking at her with concern and disrupting her train of thought.

"Don't worry about me, Lauren. I'll be fine. I just don't wish to spoil my diet." She lied, pretending to sip the soda.

"I say this grub is worth spoiling a diet." Miss Fix It commented as she greedily bit into her frankfurter, getting ketchup, mustard, chili and sauerkraut all over her.

"Oh, Lilith…" The acting mother sighed with exasperation, moving over to the mech genius and kneeling down to clean up her face.

"Oh! Mom, check out what I got in my game!" The tool savvy twin said, pulling out her phone and showing her the readings she had gotten.

"Well, isn't that interesting?" The android Loud leaned in closer, with Chain Linc leaning in on the other side to look like he was being nosey, but really was covering for her. "...unusually large electrical signals for what is basically a glorified playground…" She muttered quietly.

"I know...couldn't figure out what was causing it." The six year old mech head replied under her breath. "Might be generators under that part of the park, but can't say for certain."

"What about this?" Her white haired brother asked, pointing to a second set of readings. "These are off the charts."

"That happened when we got close to the ferris wheel on the way here." Lana explained while Lisa frowned as the information she had gotten. "Almost crashed my phone collecting it."

"That settles it then. We're going to pay a visit to the ferris wheel once we finish lunch." The Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton said, in a normal volume of voice.

"Really? Yay! I love ferris wheels!" 'Lauren' cheered, nearly tossing her soda when she threw her arms up in celebration.

"I wouldn't bother." A nearby mother with two babies in a carriage interjected. "It's not open."

"Not open? But it's running." The slow witted teen pointed out, gesturing to the spinning wheel.

"I thought the same thing, but the employee watching the queue keeps telling everyone it's not working."

"Fascinating…" Lisa muttered, still acting as if she was drinking her drink. Once they were all finished with their meals, they all made their way over to the ferris wheel. As they approached, they could see the employee there, a tall, well built man with a military regulation haircut wearing a black shirt and khakis, was chatting with Brain, who was still acting like an employee.

"Look. It's the dog guy from before." Leni pointed out, about to wave to him, but Penny stopped her.

"Hold it, Fashion Plate. That's Brain." She whispered into her ear. "You might blow his cover."

"That is? I thought he looked familiar."

"The other gentleman does as well…" Lisa said quietly, staring intently at the man talking to the dog. In her mind, she was doing a scan of his facial features and comparing it to what she had on record back at her main computer. "...without a shadow of a doubt, a Viper." She confirmed with a frown.

"I knew it. I was right." Inspector Gadget said, punching one fist into his other hand. "He WAS a MAD agent!" Before anyone could try and stop him, the cyborg in the gray coat charged forward.

"...and so I said to him, I said 'Kissimmee? I don't even know you.'" The Viper agent finished his story, laughing uproariously at his own anecdote, with Brain just chuckling politely.

"You there!" Gadget called out loudly as he extended his Gadget Legs to step over the borders. Both the Viper and Brain turned to see the detective headed right for them. "You're under arrest!"

"Rikes!" The intelligent canine barked out before making tracks.

"You said it! This guy's nuts!" The man was forced to run for it as well, since he wasn't armed and had to keep up the front that he was just an employee there.

"Stop in the name of the law!"

"Dad! Wait!" Fashion Plate called out, chasing after the less than brilliant private eye.

"...Idiot…" Lisa mouthed while rubbing his eyes in frustration. "...well, at least the way is clear, so I suppose that is a silver lining…" While the Viper was away and the park patrons' attention was diverted by the antics of the well meaning officer of the law, LISA, Miss Fix It, Chain Linc and Penny quickly moved through the entryway to the fenced off ferris wheel and started to look around for clues. After a few seconds of looking…

"Over here." The young handywoman called out, motioning her friend and family over to her, near the controls for the wheel. "There's a hatch hidden here."

"Good work, Fix It." Chain Linc complimented her, patting her on the head before he and Penny tried to pull the hatch open. Fortunately, it wasn't locked, but it still took a lot of effort to lift it. Once it was opened, however, the quartet quickly slipped in, with LISA closing the hatch behind her to avoid arousing suspicion from civilians or enemy agents.

* * *

_AN: No bios on Technomancer, Thunderbolt or Brainwave yet. I'll go into more detail on them when they appear in a chapter in person._

_Commander Sidewinder is the head of the Den of Vipers organization. Her plan is to, you guessed it, take over the world (Of course!). While she is human, her own military training has given her above average strength and reflexes, making her a deadly opponent in hand to hand combat against normal foes. She's also a sharp shooter with her magnum revolver. Her backstory will be expanded upon in later chapters._

_Lieutenant Cobra is Sidewinder's right hand man and confidant. He's as skilled in battle as she is, but less rigid, making him slightly more diplomatic. He and the Commander have a kind of relationship going on that will be expanded upon later._

_Chief Researcher Adder is the lead scientist in the Den of Vipers, specializing in genetics. Her current project, the Superior Soldier project, will involve splicing the genes of various species of snakes into their agents and soldiers in order to create super soldiers. Also, special thanks to Guest for the name Sawscale._


	9. Chapter 9: MAD, Louds and Gadget Men pt2

_AN: Sorry this took so long. After the first chapter of MAD, Louds and Gadget Men, I needed to do a little thinking. When I initially wrote that chapter, I hadn't even considered the need to change it to crossover. Live and learn, I guess. Anyway, I contemplated what I was going to do about it as I worked on the next chapter. Take the chapter down and put it as a one shot? I probably should have done that from the start, but I had put some plot essential stuff in this chapter. Not only that, it's against the rules to post chapters as separate stories. I would have needed to do a serious overhaul on that chapter, and I had taken too long to get that chapter (not to mention this one) finished to start with. I could have taken Inspector Gadget off the table entirely, replace him with with another dim witted cyborg character, but again, that would require an overhaul. Not only that, but it would have just been a knock off Inspector Gadget anyway, and this was a story I just really wanted to do, gadget man and all._

_In the end, I decided I would just roll with it and keep it as a crossover. Would open more options for stories that way (though I have plenty of stories to tell presently without crossovers. Still, no harm in having extra options). Any rate, I do plan to include a few other properties in the future, such as Kim Possible, but not from Marvel or DC (how characters got their powers here are too different to how the characters in their respective universes got their powers, and I'm not delving into other dimensions just yet). I'll sprinkle them in as I can, depending on where the story is going. Also, please don't bombard me with suggestions for crossovers._

_Before we get into the story, a couple questions to answer from the review section:_

_STLBluesFan67: Yeah, it was pretty much set in stone. I was focusing more on the original Inspector Gadget cartoon, where Talon didn't exist (that I know of), so sorry, but I'm afraid not._

_Guest: Yes, Necromos will become a problem later. And your assessment is quite accurate. But for right now, he'll help Lucy while it still benefits him._

_In addition to various snakes, I figured I would also name some of their agents after famous fictional snakes. Try reading Agent Aak's name backwards. You'll see where I'm going with it._

_Nah. Tetherby's butler won't be getting in on the act._

_And I am doing alright, thank you. Sorry it took so long to answer that on this story._

_LoudVillainSongs: Very nice parody of No More Mr Nice Guy_

_Omni Spectator: Are you sure about that?_

_Also, no further chapter suggestions please. I have a LOT of chapters lined up waiting to be written already, but it takes a while to get through them, especially lately when these chapters are getting as long as Louds and Dragons._

* * *

Mad Louds and Gadget Man pt 2

'Using a theme park as a hideout...a brilliant idea.' A tall man with a silvery bowl cut thought to himself as he leaned against a small building marked 'Utility Shed: Authorized Personnel only'. 'But you'd think it'd be more exciting...this is dull as anything…'

"Stop right there!" He blinked in surprise as he heard someone yell. He turned in time to see a dog, one of his fellow Vipers, and what looked like a man in a gray trenchcoat on stilts headed right for them. "Halt!"

"Gang way!" The fleeing Viper screamed as he barged through the door, followed by Brain. The once bored man jumped into attention as he blocked the passage.

"Hold it right there!" He declared, holding out his hand. "Park employees O-" He tried to say, but he was cut off when Inspector Gadget had stepped on him as he charged into the 'shed'.

"Official police business!" He exclaimed in passing to the groaning man. Seconds later, Leni ran past the injured man as well.

"Sorry." She apologized quickly before she dashed into the shed after the well meaning inspector. The shed in question, as it turned out, was actually an entrance; an entrance down into the Viper's hidden base. The less than brilliant detective didn't seem to notice, having a sort of tunnel vision as he chased down the soldier from the Den of Vipers and his own dog. This chase lasted for a few more minutes until Brain dashed past a pair of tuxedo clad guards carrying assault rifles. They blinked and turned in the direction of the frightened dog, wondering what was going on. It was then their unarmed associate ran up to them.

"Guys, you have an extra gun?" He asked frantically. "I got a crazy cop on my tail."

"A cop? And you lead them down here!?" One of the Viper guards snapped before bashing him with the butt of their rifle. It was at this time Inspector Gadget and 'Lauren' arrived on the scene.

"Gentlemen, have you seen-wait. Do you have licenses for those weapons?" The good inspector asked, pointing at the assault weaponry.

"No. What of it?" The other well dressed goon asked with a smirk, both of them pointing their guns at the detective.

"...Dad, I think these are the bad guys…" Leni whispered to the cyborg crime fighter.

"I think you're right…" The Inspector commented quietly in return before he glared at the guards and continued. "You two and your friend on the ground are all under arrest! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately." The two tuxedoed gunmen just laughed at his demand, disabling the safeties on their guns. "...I hate resorting to rough stuff, but you leave me no choice. Go go Gadget Cuffs!" Inspector Gadget called out. However, instead of handcuffs, a billowing cloud of smoke burst from his coat, setting up a thick smokescreen. The two guards were thrown completely off guard by the smoke, their weapons discharging in random directions. Now under cover, Fashion Plate made her move. She flipped into the air, over the dull witted officer and the two Viper minions, changing into her super outfit in midair. The moment she landed, she struck the minion on the left with a roundhouse kick to the back of the head. The criminal grunt on the right turned quickly when his partner fell to the ground, which gave Inspector Gadget another opening. "Go go Gadget Cuffs!" He tried again. Once more, something went awry and a spring loaded boxing glove shot from his chest, knocking the other gunman out. "I said cuffs, not fisticuffs!" The gadgetman complained, looking down at his own body.

"Well, it worked." Fashion Plate pointed out as she was binding the two men in tuxes with special thread as the obscuring cloud faded.

"Hmmm. Yes, that's true." The detective admitted with a nod. While they were dealing with his armed associates, the Viper who had fled his post to escape the two crime fighters recovered from the blow he had received earlier, crawled over to a tiny panel on the wall, and pushed a big red button on the panel. The moment he did, an alarm blared within the hidden complex.

"Uh oh…" Leni gulped as red lights flashed in the hall and a siren sounded throughout the base.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier, Lincoln, Lana, LISA and Penny had each climbed down an iron rong ladder down into a corridor comprised of metal walls, large enough for two grownups to walk side by side. Lana, Penny and Lincoln all ditched their costumes (having had their normal clothes and hero suits on under the outfits Leni made for them), while Lisa raised her wrist to her mouth. "LISA mobile droid, convert to scout mode. Codename SHINOBI." She whispered, her body becoming slimmer and more streamlined, her outfit changing into that of a modern ninja; a pitch black garb with black stockings and gloves.

"Cool." Chain Linc commented quietly, tightening his arm chains to keep them from clattering so he could move more stealthily.

"Thank you. I had hoped to make it more historically accurate, but it suffices," The young genius replied before she sprang up to the ceiling, clinging to it like a gecko. Shortly after, she vanished from sight, having activated a cloaking field around her.

"When we get home, you're going to share how you pulled that off," Miss Fix It told her. "An invisibility device would be really handy for me."

"As soon as I perfect it. I'll explain later. Let's move." Logical Intelligent Synthetic Automaton said hastily. Her brother and Penny nodded in agreement as the four of them snuck through the well lit corridor. It was slow progress, as the team was watching and listening for patrolling guards, and LISA could only move so fast while maintaining her cloak. As they moved, Penny pulled out her computer book and started to type into it.

"Let's see...I can't search for energy signals without causing a lot of noise…" Penny said quietly. "...but I can search for electrical signals specifically. The highest concentration of electricity should indicate where we'd need to go."

"Not a bad idea, Penny," Chain Linc told her quietly. "But do you have a map of this place in there?"

"Sadly, no. We'll only get a general idea of where we need to go," The young Gadget admitted.

"That's fine. We'll find our way through," The white haired chain fighter said. It was at that point the alarms started to sound.

"Oh for the love of…" LISA grumbled, frowning, though no one could see it.

"Did we trigger some kind of trap?" Lana asked in concern.

"Question later. Hide now." Lincoln said, pulling Lana and Penny into the nearest room: one with a large door to their right. LISA, who was still invisible, remained out in the hall. Unfortunately, his hasty actions had put them right smack dab in the middle of a cafeteria, complete with a handful of Vipers and MAD agents, all looking quite shell shocked at their sudden arrival. "...Oops."

"It's the Heroes League! Get them!" One of the members of the Den of Vipers shouted, all of them rising and rushing at the three children. Chain Linc sent two chains forward in front of him, smacking a MAD agent and Viper agent in the face and knocking them out. Miss Fix It tossed a few pellets at the criminals and terrorists charging at her, which all exploded with a flash of bright light and a loud bang. While they were dazed, she pulled out her net cannon and shot one toward the hindered group, wrapping them all up in a net. Penny even got involved, smashing one of the cafeteria's chairs into the head of a tux-wearing minion trying to abush Lana, and a MAD villain with her computer book. Within a matter of seconds, the band of criminals were all out and restrained in nets and chains. Linc wiped his forehead of sweat, but they didn't have time to rest.

"Heads up." LISA whispered. "A squad of armed guards headed your way."

"For the love of…" The one son groaned as he sent a chain to wrap around the door handles to hold the door shut.

"Bro, we have to disappear, quick…" Lana whispered in a panic. The three of them looked around for a moment before Penny silently pointed up toward the ceiling: to an air vent. Chain Linc smiled and nodded, using one of his arms chains to open the grate.

"Ladies first," He said, holding his hands together to give them a boost. There was a hard slam against the cafeteria just as Miss Fix It was boosted up, followed closely by Penny. The middle Loud was the last to enter the vent, pulling himself up and closing the grate behind him just as the guards bashed the door open.

"...that was too close…" Miss Fix It whispered under her breath as soon as they had crawled a safe distance away.

"Yeah…" Gadget's niece agreed, her own heart racing. She then held her wrist computer to her mouth. "We're alright, LISA. We managed to get out before they got in."

"Excellent. They didn't see me, thanks to my cloaking field," LISA responded quietly. "I'll continue to explore the halls."

"Right. And we'll keep to the vents," Chain Linc responded under his breath. "We'll probably maintain radio silence unless we really need help."

"Acknowledged. Keep safe; all of you," With that, all went silent on the comm link. The two superpowered Louds and niece of the cyborg detective crawled as quietly as they could through the vents, Lincoln needing to move more slowly to avoid all his chains clattering and making noise to give away their position.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the brain center of the complex, Commander Sidewinder glared up at the ceiling as the alarms went off, with the guards scrambling to cover all entrances and exits from the room and the technicians looking panicked. Lieutenant Cobra had pulled a desert eagle from his inner coat pocket, his eyes darting all around. The head of the Vipers pulled a radio from her hip. "Vipers, status report. What is the meaning of this alarm?" She demanded to know.

"Intruder alert, Commander. Our complex has been breached." A man's voice replied through the radio. "It's Inspector Gadget."

"What? How is that possible? We have guards watching all possible entrances," Sidewinder said in a voice of barely contained anger, while also thinking 'Heads are going to roll for this…'

"We aren't certain...but he's not alone. Fashion Plate is with him."

"Fashion Plate!? The Heroes League is here too!?" The Commander face palmed, her face turning red. Then, she grinned, lowering her hand. "Actually...this could work out for us," She muttered to herself before she pressed the button on her radio. "Capture them immediately, and send Fashion Plate to see Adder. As for Inspector Gadget...just get rid of him. Oh, and keep an eye out for other heroes. It's highly unlikely they sent Fashion Plate alone..." She instructed before returning the radio to her belt. "Seems the Inspector is going to be a bigger pain than I thought…but perhaps the good doctor will pay us a little reward for eliminating him."

"Should I join the troops in the search?" Cobra inquired.

"No. If our knot can't handle one cop and one of the weakest heroes in the League, then they aren't worth helping. Go to the loading docks. If the Heroes League are aware of why we're here, they'll be headed there to stop us from transporting the gas." The Lieutenant saluted her before he hurried off, headed for the loading dock.

* * *

'Well, so far this day, not to mention this mission, has been a chaotic mess…' LISA thought to herself as she crept through the halls on the ceiling and walls, keeping her invisibility field active. 'It's not enough that the first known cyborg in the world, a man I admired, turned out to be an incompetent fool...and now we're deep in an enemy complex and separated from one another. And to make matters worse, the two least intelligent of us all are alone together…what more could go wrong?' The Loud android wondered sourly. She got her answer moments later when she noticed the stocky lieutenant running past her at a three way intersection, headed down another corridor. Suspecting this may be important, the hidden genius followed him down the way...and what she found was far from promising. She was led to a massive chamber, with a line of tanker trucks in front of a row of thick steel doors. Opposite the trucks were a series of gas tanks, one of which filled with a strange, pinkish kind of gas. Unfortunately for LISA, she wasn't close enough to get an analysis. Even less fortunately, this room was filled to the brim with armed Vipers and MAD agents, and it looked like they were almost done filling one of the tankers. "My goodness…" The robotic sister mouthed as she surveyed the whole scene before her.

"LISA...Can you hear me?" Came the whispered voice of Lana in LISA's head.

"I can, Miss Fix It. I am returning this message via text to voice to avoid alerting the guards to my presence," LISA responded in an almost robotic tone.

"We may have a problem here…they have a lot of trucks here, and they're filling them with some kind of gas…"

"Not to mention all the guys with guns…" Chain Linc muttered under his breath.

"I can see all of that," LISA said in return, changing her vision into x-ray. A few seconds of looking around and she spotted her brother, sister, and Penny inside the vents closest to the emptying gas tank. "There you all are...Penny, can you analyze the gas from there?" The young lady in blonde pigtails nodded as she started tapping buttons in her computer book. Her handheld computer had a little trouble getting a proper reading, but a slight leak in the outtake hose gave her enough to work off of.

"Zanith gas?" Penny whispered in utter confusion. "Why would they want that?" She wondered before she texted a reply to LISA.

"Good choice, Miss Gadget. We can communicate more silently this way," The young genius texted back, her message appearing on the small screen in her book. "I share your confusion in this matter. Zanith gas isn't exactly rare, nor worth any significant money. In addition, it is quite the chore to collect."

"There's no way the Viper's would want it in that case…" Lincoln commented in a hushed voice, narrowing his eyes at the now drained tank. "It must be what Dr Claw wants...but why?"

"Another question for the pile, elder brother…" His second youngest sister texted in reply.

'Well, one thing is clear to me…" The chain laden hero said seriously, turning his attention to all the guards. "...we're in over our heads."

"I must concur. We're out gunned by an overwhelming margin. Even if I were to go MEGA or BRAWLER mode, it wouldn't be enough."

"I'll call the others," Miss Fix It said as she pulled out her communicator, attempting to activate the distress call. However, when she did, a sharp, loud screech came from it, making the three kids in the vent cover their ears.

'Curse those Vipers...they must have set up a jamming field to prevent communications out of the complex when our cover was blown…' LISA reasoned, wincing as she heard the screech right in her own head. To make matters worse, everyone present in the loading bay was now looking right at the vents where they were.

"Let's move…" Lincoln said over the cacophonous racket, pushing Penny and Miss Fix It along before taking up the rear (the mechanically savvy girl turning off the comm device in the meantime). They were just turning the corner when one of the female guards poked her head into the ventilation system.

"Lieutenant! It's the Heroes League alright," She informed Cobra after she pulled her head back out. "It seems they're retreating toward the eastern wing…"

"The eastern wing, you say?" Cobra inquired, grinning a bit. "Very good...follow the ducts and see if you can corral them to Adder, or apprehend them. Tomato, tomahto."

"Very good, sir. Shall we release the snakes into the vents as well?" She asked while saluting him.

"Yes. Yes we shall." With all the attention on the ventilation system, LISA dropped down from the ceiling, still invisible while landing without making a sound. With her family and new friend in trouble, she needed to throw caution to the wind to find and help them. She ran off into the corridors, putting her invisibility at risk in the process.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fashion Plate and Inspector Gadget hid away the patrol they had apprehended, but with all the new Vipers and MAD agents now filling the corridors, their job was now much more difficult than it should be. The family fashionista peeked out from the small room she and their captives were hiding, sweating a little bit as she saw armed, well dressed soldiers and minions all in black storming through the halls. "This is bad…" She whispered after she closed the door as quietly as she could. "There's way too many of them and they knew we're here…"

"Don't despair, Fashion Plate," the dull witted cyborg said quietly, patting her shoulder. "It's always darkest right before dawn. We'll think of a way out of this mess." She gave him a small smile at his attempt at motivation when her eyes fell upon the guards they had restrained. She looked at them for a moment as the gears turned in her head. Then, an idea hit her.

* * *

Moments later, the gadget laden police officer was being escorted through the halls, his hands looking like they were tied behind his back. Behind him, an armed Viper operative held a rifle to his back. For the most part, other members of the terror group paid them no mind, focused on finding the heroes. All they saw was a prisoner being escorted. However, the soldier didn't seem to know where he was going, and THAT eventually got him some attention. "Halt!" The two of them stopped as a woman in a royal blue pants suit with short blonde hair stormed toward them, carrying a sten machine gun. The soldier saluted her as she glanced toward the restrained Inspector, then his captor. "You caught one of the intruders? Very good."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

"However, the Commander ordered this particular intruder to be dealt with immediately. Why is he being taken prisoner?"

"I...thought the Commander would like to deal with him personally." The woman leered at him for a moment, glanced to the (surprisingly) calm looking cyborg detective, then back.

"Hmmmm. Not a bad idea, private. Aiming to earn some brownie points, are we?" She asked with a smirk.

"...brownies? Should I have brought brownies?" He responded, looking concerned now. The female Viper just laughed when he said that, shaking her head.

"Rookies…" She commented. It was about this time when Brain had slinked into sight, the yellow canine trying to get his bearings in this maze of an underground base.

"You again!" Inspector Gadget snapped as he frowned at him, all eyes turning to Brain.

"Rot again…" Brain groaned under his breath.

"Who let a dog in here!?" The blond haired Viper asked, returning to her GI rigidness.

"Wait...he isn't one of yours?" The gadget man in the gray coat inquired in confusion just as the intelligent dog ran for it. The woman with the machine gun was about to give chase, but the private grabbed her shoulder.

"I'll get him, ma'am. Could you bring the prisoner to the Commander?"

"Hmmm...very well. Carry on, private," She said, leaving the armed guard to go after Brain. Once he was gone, she smirked. "Naive little rookie...you just opened up more avenues for promotion for me." The woman in blue commented before she turned to Inspector Gadget. "Get walking, prisoner! And don't even think of running, or I'll fill you full of lead!" She snapped at him, pointing the barrel of her weapon at the inspector. He simply started moving as she directed, moving very calmly in spite of the gun pointed at his back.

* * *

Inside the vents, Chain Linc, Miss Fix It and Penny were crawling as fast as they could through the heating/cooling system. They had no idea where they were going, but they hoped the villains had no idea where they were going either. This hope was quashed after Lincoln took a left turn at a three way crossing instead of going straight, and a hail of bullets in front of him stopped him. "Eep! Wrong way…" He squeaked quietly, the group forced to backtrack and crawled down the other passage. Little did they know that they were now going exactly where the two criminal organizations wanted them to go. And that wasn't all they were unaware of, which they discovered moments later when they heard a mass of hissing from behind them. They looked back to see an army of snakes slithering right toward them.

"Uh oh. We got snakes..." Lana commented as she looked back at the swarm of serpents.

"Double time it, everyone," Chain Linc said in fear. He had no idea if these snakes were poisonous, but he didn't want to chance it with his little sister and Penny there. They crawled as fast as they could through the vent system, staying ahead of the mass of snakes behind them and stopping only when bullets provided a road block. This happened a few more times over the next several seconds, until the three of them started to crawl over a vent grate which opened right underneath them. The two heroes and the niece of the Inspector fell right through, falling into a heap right in front of the Viper's chief researcher. Adder grinned at them with malevolent glee as a group of MAD agents grabbed them and forced them to their feet.

"Sssssso good of you to join ussssssss, heroesssss," The scientist with the hiss like lisp said as Lincoln tried to struggle with the bulky criminals holding his arms behind his back, and picked up Lana by the back of her overalls like she were a suitcase. "Be sure to ssssssearch that one. She may be packing ssssssurprises."

"Yes ma'am," The brawny but brick dumb agent replied before he turned Miss Fix It upside down and started to shake her down, causing most of her tools and gadgets to spill onto the ground: her net gun, concussion grenades, a toolbox worth of tools, her hover disc, a shield generator. It was all making a fairly significant pile. Much to their surprise, the pile almost reached her hard hat when the last item, a single plunger, fell.

"I understand everything else…" Adder started to say as she looked at the toilet unclogger among her mass of tools, gizmos and widgets with confusion. "...but why the plunger?"

"A good plumber is always prepared," Lana replied, pretty dazed from being upside down and shaken.

"Huh...sssstrap them down," Adder instructed, pointing to the nearest examination tables as she pulled a switch on the closest console. She then turned to the squirming Penny. "Asssssss for her...sssssssimply tie her up. We'll usssssssse her as leverage in cassssssse they get any funny ideassssssss." The men from MAD nodded as one of them tied up Penny's wrists and ankles and gagged her while two of them unceremoniously tossed Chain Linc onto one of the tables. He tried to leap off it before they could try strapping down down, but he couldn't budge. The table was actually a powerful magnet and all of his chains and armor kept him stuck to it. Miss Fix It was fighting, biting and struggling as hard as she could, but she was still a little girl against a pair of gorilla like men, so she was soon restrained to the table with leather and metal belts. Penny was set in a corner before the MAD agents departed from the room. "Glorioussssss. Ssssssssimply gloriousssssss," Adder said with the most evil of smirks. "I wassssss sssssso hoping for a chance to ssssssee you all again."

"And you couldn't have just called us over to play?" Miss Fix It asked in a snarky manner.

"And now that you're here, I can continue my experimentsssssssss…"

"What experiments?" Lincoln asked with serious trepidation.

"I could tell you...but why ssssssspoil the ssssssurprise?" The chief researcher said with a hissing snicker. "That sssssaid, I can give you a little hint…" With that, she pulled out a single empty syringe. One look at the needle made Lana go pale and start to sweat. "...it will require a ssssssmall ssssssssample of your blood."

"B-But why?" Miss Fix It asked fearfully.

"Ah ah ah. No ssssssspoilers," Adder teased sadistically, stepped toward the restrained heroes.

"Stay where you," LISA instructed, her invisibility fading as her android body converted into MEGA mode. She had her arm cannon pointed at Adder's back and a serious scowl on her own face. "Drop the syringe and put your hands in the air. This is the only warning you're getting." The Viper's head of research stopped in her tracks, but smirked even wider. She dropped the needle while reaching into her lab coat with her other hand.

"LISA! Look out!" Chain Linc cried out, but too late. Adder turned quickly and threw a small metal sphere at the android. LISA's eyes flashed the moment she saw the ball. She tried to dive out of the way, but the device exploded in a flash of electric blue light upon contact with the ground. Her robotic body started to convulse, shake and spark the moment after the explosion before going completely still, smoke rising from her joints. "LISA!"

"Sssssstupid robot. Did you really think we wouldn't be prepared to face you again after you were sssssssso insssssssssstrumental in foiling our plans before?" She asked as she walked over and kicked the motionless hunk of metal. "All Vipers carry EMP bombs on their person at all times these days, just for you...not that you can appreciate that now." She laughed cruelly before returning her attention to her now helpless subjects. Lincoln was fighting with all his might, his face all red as he was almost literally choking on his own fury.

"When I get out...going to….strangle…!" He shouted, his words somewhat hindered by his pure wrath. However, the pull of the magnets was far too strong for him.

"Keep dreaming, little boy...now then...who would like to go first?" She asked as she picked up the syringe and looked between the two super powered children. She quickly took notice of the terror in Miss Fix It's eyes, which made Adder grin even broader. "Aww. What's the matter, little girl? Are you you sssssscared of needles?" She asked with the fakest sympathy as she approached Lana, waving the needle almost in her face. The mechanical genius of the team tried to shrink back from the syringe, whimpering and shaking in terror. "There's no need to be scared. This won't hurt a bit...unfortunately. Here, let me show you."

"No...please, keep it away from me!" Miss Fix It screamed as Adder brought the point of the needle closer and closer to her. While this was going on and Lincoln was raging and storming on his table, a tiny red light light started blinking on one of the nearby computer monitors.

* * *

Back out in the halls, Brain was running frantically through the complex, with the one Viper soldier who had 'captured' Inspector Gadget in hot pursuit. "Brain! Wait!" The guard called out. This struck the dog as very strange. How did he know his name? He skidded to a stop, looking back at the Viper chasing him. Once he got close enough, he looked around for a moment, then pulled off his face. The guard was really Fashion Plate in disguise. "It's ok, Brain. It's me." The yellow dog gasped in surprise. "Are you alright?"

"Rah rah," Penny's dog answered, before pointing with concern where they had come and trying to mime the acts of a police officer. Unfortunately for him, Leni wasn't the brightest bulb of the bunch and simply shrugged to him. The unusually intelligent canine facepalmed. However, before he could make any attempt to try again, they both heard a shrill scream. A scream Leni knew too well.

"La-I mean, Miss Fix It!" She quickly threw her mask back on before she and Brain bolted down the corridor, rushing toward the source of the noise.

"There now. Sssssssee? It'ssssssss not sssssso bad," Adder taunted as she took a blood sample from Chain Linc. Lana was sniffling and crying, looking to the little red spot on her own arm. In addition to being utterly terrified, the Chief Researcher made extra sure that the blood draw was painful. It didn't hurt a lot, but to the scared little tinkerer, she may as well have impaled her arm with a flaming spear. Lincoln's face was all red, enraged to the point where he couldn't even scream at her any longer. Adder laughed callously as she took the two samples she had collected and separated them into two test tubes each. She moved one of each sample over to a holding stand by all of her chemistry equipment, while the other two she placed inside some kind of metal cylinder. Once they were sealed inside, she strolled over to a panel on the wall and opened it and set the canister inside it. After that, the container was pulled upwards by powerful suction and vanished from sight. "The Commander will be mosssssst pleasssssed. Our ressssssearch can continue...but before I return to work, I think a little pleasure is in order."

"Pleasure? What do you mean by that…?" Lana asked through her scared sobs.

"This issssss an optimal time for me to perform a few experimentssssss on a few true sssssssuperheros," Adder explained as she grabbed a metal tray of surgical tools. It was about this time when the disguised Fashion Plate and Brain arrived at the lab, a look of abject horror on both of their faces. The young lady and the dog shared a quick look with one another and nodded. Without exchanging a word, they crept into the room; Leni making her way over to Adder, and Brain slinking over to Penny. The sadistic scientist was closely inspecting a scalpel as her eyes shifted between her captives. "Let'ssssss sssssssee...Fix It went firssssssst before...sssssso why not give Chain Linc the honor of being my first guinea pig?" He started toward him, raising the tiny blade over him. "It'ssssss only fair to warn you, young man...I have no anesthetic, sssssso this will be excru-" Her cruel monologue was cut short by a hard blow to the back of her head, which dropped her like a sack of potatoes.

"Nobody. Hurts. My. Brother. Or. Sisters," Fashion Plate said in uncharacteristic anger before she pulled off her mask.

"Fashion Plate!" Linc and Lana exclaimed together.

"I sure am!" She chirped in reply. She ran over to unstrap Miss Fix It, since she wasn't sure how to turn off the magnet holding her brother in place. Fortunately, Brain had gotten Inspector Gadget's niece free of her bindings, so she was able to deactivate the magnet and set the chain clad hero free. As soon as her arms were free, Miss Fix It threw her arms around her older sister, crying.

"Fashion Plate!" She sobbed before she went on to describe what had happened to them, though it was difficult to understand since it was mostly her blubbering. Regardless, Leni put her arms around her frightened little sister and tried to comfort her. Meanwhile, Lincoln had picked up Adder by the front of her lab coat, his fist raised and ready to just start pummeling her.

"Chain Linc, wait!" Penny cried out.

"Don't try to stop me, Penny!" The one son snapped in rage. "LISA could be dead because of her!" The metal coils on his arms started to slither down his arm to his tightly clenched fist.

"Eld...Brot...Your...Cern is...Ing…" A voice heavily distorted by static said. Everyone went silent as they looked around in confusion. "Over...here." Penny ran over to the computer console beside Chain Linc, looking carefully into the screen. Over in the corner of the desktop was a very glitchy image of LISA's head.

"L-LISA?"

"In the megabytes," The living AI replied, her voice very scratchy. "As I attempted to say, your concern is touching, Elder Brother, but I am not quite deceased yet." The chain wielding child dashed over to the monitor, dropping the unconscious scientist in the process.

"LISA!? You're ok!?" He asked, relief clear in his face and voice.

"Well, ok might be being generous, but I do continue to exist, so I suppose that does qualify." LISA replied, somewhat grimly.

"I-I thought the EMP had…"

"It may very well have, had I not sensed an opening in the nearest computer...seriously, she only used the original OS security software. Positively pathetic for a scientist, but I digress. Using their own wifi connection, I transferred my consciousness onto this computer and set my cybernetic body on autopilot, combat mode. I hoped they had shielded their own hardware against EMP, and I was correct for the most part. There was some damage, that particular body is useless now, and I will still need time to recover, but I was protected."

"Thank goodness…" Lincoln said with a sigh. "We need to find Inspector Gadget, get out of here and contact the league…"

"Actually, I already contacted the league. Turns out the Vipers' jamming field doesn't affect their own comms, so I used their own channels to contact our family," The living AI explained as her image slowly started to stop glitching. " However, you are correct. We need to evacuate the premises to await backup. Miss Fix It, I don't suppose you have a flash drive, do you?"

"If I did, it was in this pile…" Lana replied, looking sadly at her gadgets as she started to put them back in her pockets "...and any of my electronic and computer gear was fried in the blast."

"My watch was too," Penny commented before she checked her computer book. "...my computer book took some damage, but it's still somewhat functional." She pulled a usb wire from her pocket and connected her homemade cpu to Adder's console. Within seconds, Lisa had transferred herself to Penny's computer book.

"Very much appreciated, Penny," The digital manifestation of the second youngest sister said. "Now let's-" Before she could say anything further, there was the sound of an explosion further in the hidden base, followed by another alarm.

"What was that!?" Miss Fix It asked in surprise.

* * *

In the nerve center of the hidden Viper base, Commander Sidewinder was watching via their security feed as the first gas tanker had departed from the loading bay and the second was starting to be filled. She had a satisfied smile on her face, and why shouldn't she? The job was going very well, she heard they had successfully caught some of those pesky heroes, and progress on their superior soldier program could (hopefully) continue. It seemed an overall good day so far. The only wrinkle (apart from the Heroes League even being there) was just approaching, as Inspector Gadget had been brought into the central chamber. "Commander! I have captured Inspector Gadget!" The blonde haired woman in the blue pantsuit declared proudly as she shoved the cyborg detective forward as the Viper leader turned around with a cocked eyebrow, her smile fading.

"Did you now? Splendid...but I recall giving the order to eliminate him, not bring him to me."

"Yes...well, I felt you would have liked to deal with this pest yourself…" Sidewinder frowned lightly as she looked between the Viper soldier, and the gadget man, mulling it over for a moment.

"Not what I demanded...but, not an altogether unpleasant alternative, I suppose," The commander commented before her smirk returned.

"So, you're the leader of the Den of Vipers…" Inspector Gadget said before he glanced around the inner chamber. "Where's Dr Claw?"

"He had business elsewhere, so you will have to settle for dying by my hand," Sidewinder told him as she drew her magnum.

"And what exactly are the two of you up to?"

"Do you honestly expect me to tell you, Inspector? What do you think this is? Some kind of comic book?"

"Hehe. Yeah," The biggest of Dr Claw's many fiends commented with a snicker. "We aren't going to tell you how we're mining zanith gas for the boss." The Commander glared over at him as he continued to laugh.

"Zanith gas? What would he want that for?" Inspector Gadget inquired in confusion.

"Oh, he plans to-" BANG!

"Idiot…" Alice growled as the MAD agent fell face first to the ground, followed by her blowing the smoke from the barrel of her gun. "Now, where were we? Oh yes...I was about to put you out of my misery, Inspector," She continued, turning her weapon upon the cyborg cop.

"That's what you think!" Gadget exclaimed as he suddenly brought his hands around in front of him. All armed Vipers in the room turned their weapons onto the detective when they realized he wasn't restrained. "You're all under arrest!"

"Ha. You are a fool. We have you outnumbered at least fifty to one, and most of us have guns. What makes you think you can take all of us?"

"Looks like I'll have to give my newest gadget a test then," the dull witted officer said as he pulled a button on his coat. "Go go Gadget body armor!" No sooner had he released the button then he started inflating like a balloon. "Uh oh...wrong button." MAD minions and Sidewinder's troops laughed at the Inspector's misfortune. The Viper leader simply shook her head in something vaguely like pity and fired a round right at him. The bullet pierced right through his coat, leaving a gaping hole where air was escaping. Inspector Gadget was sent flying across the room with no way of controlling his path. "Whoa! Whoa! WHOOOOA!" He cried out just as he plowed through a crowd of criminals like they were bowling pins. The Vipers suddenly stopped laughing, opening fire upon the Inspector. However, he had bounced off of a series of computer consoles before the bullets could touch him, the computers getting riddled by rounds instead. The machines sparked and shuddered before it exploded.

"You idiots! Hold your fire!" Commander Sidewinder yelled as the computer explosion seriously damaged all equipment nearby and her troops were still trying to shoot the gadget man zipping around the room like a super ball. "You're doing more damage to our complex than you are to him!" The Vipers all hastily obeyed while the MAD technicians were frantically trying to mitigate the damage already done and keep all systems stable, just as the Inspector crashed through the hanging monitors. Almost all of them were smashed by the impact, or knocked off their stands to the unforgiving floor below. 'There's no way this idiot is doing this by accident…his stupid act must be some kind of ruse to instill overconfidence,' She thought to herself as she tried to keep track of his movements so she could shoot him. 'Clearly I underestimated him…' The mechanical man's frantic flight soon came to an end when he slammed his back against the main control console for the drill apparatus. Alice thought this was her chance, but no sooner had he impacted the machine then a mech arm emerged from his hat carrying a large mallet. It swung wildly, striking the Commander right in the chest and sending her flying backwards and into a wall. Then, the mallet recoiled back and smashed the controls for the drill.

"Commander! The drill was just thrown into overdrive!" One of the Viper technicians exclaimed, smoke and steam billowing from the machine. "It's starting to overheat!"

"Does zanith gas explode?" A MAD agent asked, looking around at his fellow criminals and their serpent themed allies.

"No, of course it doesn't!" Said technician informed him with an angry scowl, with the equipment before him sparking and shuddering. "...but if we can't stop the drill, it will!" Inspector Gadget shook his head to clear it as he looked around at all the chaos around him. The two factions seem to have forgotten about him as they tried to keep their mining device from going critical. However, the Inspector's mallet had destroyed the controls, leaving them no method of saving the machine.

"That doesn't look good…" He commented as he looked at the rapidly failing gas collector.

"What was your first clue, genius?" The Viper scientist grumbled as the console caught fire. The Vipers, MAD minions and the Inspector dove for cover just before the drilling machine exploded. Lieutenant Cobra ran into the doorway when he heard the blast, looking at the mess and carnage inside. The equipment inside is all wrecked, some of it on fire, with both their own troops and Dr Claw's running around in a panic, some having been injured in the blast. His eyes darted around the room, looking for the Commander. Fortunately, she was right beside him, dazed and winded from the hammer blow.

"Commander! Are you alright?" He asked, kneeling down to help her up.

"I've felt worse, Lieutenant…" She groaned as she got to her feet and got a look at the destruction before her. "...damnation…"

"We need to leave, Commander," He said seriously. "The base is a loss…"

"...as much as I hate to admit it, I agree," She responded before casting a hate filled glance over at Inspector Gadget, who was using his gadget arms to pull some of the injured out of the fire and to safety. She was tempted to take another shot at him, but decided 'Forget it. He's not my problem anymore,' before she pulled her radio from her hip. "All members of the Den of Vipers! You are ordered to evacuate the facility! Repeat, evacuate the facility! If you spot any members of the Heroes League on your way out...shoot to kill.." Her voice sounded throughout the PA system inside the complex before Maurice dragged her out of the room.

* * *

Just before all this havoc took place, all seemed calm and peaceful up in Fable Land. The man from MAD at the gate, in fact, was looking somewhat bored. He wasn't complaining, though. Getting paid to sit and do hardly anything certainly beat tangling with the cops. He was just considering getting out his phone and watching some webflix when he heard something off. A soft wooshing sound, like a gust of wind; and it was growing louder. He wondered what it could be when he saw something strange in the parking lot. A blur of ice blue, red and brown, and yellow and black approaching at insane speeds. He didn't even have time to yell when the blur zipped past the turnstile, sending the barrier spinning like a tornado. While he was still figuring out what was going on, there was the sound of a muffled explosion from under the park, followed by Lady Glori and Iron Chef flying right over the wall surrounding the theme park. "...nope," he commented when he saw the flying heroes. "Don't get paid enough for THAT…" He pulled his communicator from under his chair. "Boss...yes, sorry to disturb you...yes. Legit superheroes, along with Inspector Gadget...are you sure? No! No! I'm not questioning you, boss. Just making sure I heard correct...yes, sir!" He punched the side of his head in salute before he fiddled with the knob on the side of the radio to change the frequency. "All MAD agents, Dr Claw has just given the bail order. Drop what you're doing and get outta there. Meet at rendezvous points A, B or D in one hour," He said through the radio before he put up a 'Out to Lunch' sign on the counter and made tracks himself.

Meanwhile, Glacial Gal skidded to a stop right in the middle of the midway, and she wasn't alone. In her arms was The Grappler (in costume but not buffed up), and wrapped around her waist was April Fool, who quickly returned to her normal shape to stand beside her. The park patrons looked positively alarmed after the underground explosion and the sudden arrival of the heroes, not to mention seeing the numerous men and women in fancy dress emerging from the 'employees only' shacks. Rita closed her eyes a moment, letting her parental radar take over for a moment. "They're right below us…"

"Then stand back! I'm going in!" Lady Glori declared as she dove toward the ground, spinning like a corkscrew. She struck the ground and started boring right through it with her great strength.

"Right behind ya, Lady G!" Grappler called as she jumped right in the hole after her.

"Chef, you and April Fool clear the park," the super powered mother instructed. "And apprehend any Vipers you can. I'm going to find another way in."

"Be careful, dear…" Iron Chef said to her just before she sped off. Mere seconds after she left, a sound similar to cannon fire could be heard from the front parking lot. Lynn Sr and Luan both turned to see several bullet shaped escape pods soaring through the sky, away from Fable Land.

"What was that!?" April Fool asked in astonishment.

"Looks like an escape attempt…" The fire fueled father replied, his eyes narrowed. However, he knew they couldn't go after them. There were just too many pods, they were moving too fast, and they needed to get the civilians out of potential danger. "We'll seek them out later. We need to get these people out of here."

"Right!" The toonish heroine pulled a megaphone out of nowhere and turned to face the confused and frightened patrons, while Iron Chef flew overhead. "Ladies and Gentlemen!-"

* * *

Back down in the base, the three super powered Louds and Penny were running through the halls of the complex, Brain right behind them. They could hardly hear anything around them as the alarms were sounding off. Smoke was hovering toward the ceiling, dimming the lights. It put them all on edge, especially after the Commander's orders of 'shoot to kill'. They turned at an intersection where they believed the hidden hatch they had used to enter the facility, only to run into a squad of armed Viper soldiers in tuxedos and gowns, who were trying to find their own way out. The moment the young heroes screeched to a stop, the serpentine terrorists turned to look right at them. In an instant, all seven of them turned their rifles toward them. Chain Linc quickly moved in front of Lana, Brain and Penny, while Fashion Plate threw herself in front of all of them. They closed their eyes in fear, expecting this was the end for them. The Vipers pulled the triggers of their weapons when Lady Glori burst through the ceiling and hovered before all of them, the storm of bullets bouncing off of her. The leer of pure wrath she gave them was more than enough to tell them they were in deep trouble: trouble that only got deeper when Grappler landed beside Lori, fully bulked and furious herself. "...who fired the first shot?" Lady Glori asked in a quiet, angry voice. All fingers pointed to a single man in the very center of the squad.

"W-what!? What the-!?" He tried to object, but in the blink of an eye, the oldest of the sisters dove at him, tackling him and two guards standing beside him further down the halls. Before the remaining four could drop their weapons and flee, Lynn sprang forward and body slammed them all at once. The four terrified children slowly opened their eyes to see Lynn Jr starting a pile of unconscious minions, and Lori throwing the one who started it all around like a rag doll.

"G-Grappler? Lady Glori?" Leni asked, her voice trembling.

"Be with you in a moment, Fash," Her older sister said nonchalantly as she picked up the offending gunman and, upon realizing he had been knocked utterly senseless, dumped him and the other two onto the pile.

"You guys alright?" The bulked up athlete asked, turning her attention to the petrified quintet, who were starting to calm down.

"I think my life flashed before my eyes...but otherwise, I'm alright…" Chain Linc admitted, holding the shaking Lana.

"I think we're all fine...at least physically," Penny agreed, petting Brain on the head to help put him at ease.

"Uh...who are they? And where's LISA? Didn't she come with you?" The eldest sister inquired.

"To answer your first question, they are Penny Gadget and Brain, the niece and canine companion of Inspector Gadget," Came the muffled voice of Lisa. Lady Glori and Grappler looked utterly confused until the brilliant young blonde opened her computer book. "Inspector Gadget, I hasten to add, being the name of the officer we were aiding in this operation. And as for your second and third question, yes, I had. Unfortunately, my android shell was destroyed by an electromagnetic pulse, and I was forced to seek refuge in one of their computer systems until Penny could download my consciousness onto her own computer."

"You should probably get out of here," Grappler told them, gesturing up the hole Lady Glori had created to get down there. "We'll mop up the rest of these creeps."

"But what about Uncle Gadget? He's still in the base somewhere," Penny said in concern.

"We'll find him, miss," Lady Glori told her as Chain Linc sent a chain up the hole to give them a way up. "Right now, you need to get to safety." The bright young girl nodded nervously before she took hold of the chain, along with Fashion Plate and Brain. Lincoln held Miss Fix It close as the length of metal started to pull the five of them up, leaving the older sisters to finish up.

* * *

Elsewhere in the complex, Glacial Gal had managed to force her way down one of the 'employee only' hidden entrances, punching out Vipers and MAD agents on the way. Her initial objective was to find her children. However, once she had gotten into the base, she could sense that four of her children were back on the surface. She sighed with relief and began to search the facility. With her speed, it didn't long for her to realize that, apart from those who had been knocked out or restrained, the base was abandoned. She was heading the direction of the now ruined central chamber of the base when she saw a strange sight: a man in a gray coat pulling a pile of injured criminals along behind in with his extending arms around them. He was coughing as he had nothing to protect his mouth or nose from the smoke. "Who...who goes there?" He asked, having trouble seeing with the smoke (which had half filled the hall that close to the fire).

"Glacial Gal," Rita responded, getting on her guard. "And who are you?"

"Inspector Gadget, ma'am," He answered, a robotic hand showing her his badge from under his hat. "I was assigned to investigate -cough cough- the possibility of MAD presence here, along -choke- with-"

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere…" The Loud mother said as she ducked down to keep out of the smoke. "Is there anyone else in there?"

"A few more injured, and one fatality…" The Inspector answered.

"I'll go get them. There's a stairway back the way I came; take the third left, then the first right, keep going until you reach a three way intersection and turn right from there," She instructed him, gesturing with her hands in the directions he needed to go. He nodded in reply and moved on in the direction she pointed, the arctic speedster rushing into the burning room.

* * *

After nearly an hour, the parking lot had been cleared of cars (Luan and Lynn Sr having coaxed all the patrons into going home after thick black smoke billowed from places there shouldn't be), only to be replaced with several police vans, and a few ambulances. Any members of the two criminal organizations who weren't seriously injured were arrested immediately and loaded into the fleet of vans, while the injured were taken away to the nearest hospital with a police escort. By some miracle, the only fatality in the whole mess was the one MAD agent Commander Sidewinder had shot herself. Sadly, however, a great many of Sidewinder and Dr Claw's minions managed to escape, hiding among the park patrons during the evacuation of the theme park. A few paramedics were checking Chain Linc, Miss Fix It and Penny over, while Chief Quimby was speaking to them, Fashion Plate, and Inspector Gadget. The Loud parents, Grappler, and Lady Glori were making sure the arrested didn't try anything foolish. "So...Dr Claw wanted zanith gas, did he?" The plump chief inquired, scratching his chin.

"That's what it seems like," Lincoln answered, getting a little annoyed at the medics fussing over him when the worst injury he had was from getting his blood drawn.

"Goodness knows why," The Inspector added his two cents. "One of Dr Claw's men started to tell me why, but he got shot for it...I'll be adding a murder charge to Sidewinder's list of charges…"

"Well, at least their operations here are shut down, and MAD will be going without their gas…" Chief Quimby said as puffed on his pipe.

"Actually…" LISA's voice sounded out from Lincoln's communicator (having transmitted herself there from Penny's computer book once she had the strength to do so). The two grown ups were startled at the sudden voice from nowhere, while the white haired boy pulled out the little communication device and held it where they could see it and her digital manifestation. "...a single tanker truck had managed to depart before the events that caused the base to fall."

"Are you sure, LISA?" The gadget man asked, to which the AI Loud responded with a nod.

"I'm afraid so. And unfortunately, I was unable to ascertain anything about their plan during my brief stay in Researcher Adder's computer."

"Well, that is distressing…" The chief commented with a frown. "Still, it is one less den for the Vipers, and several members of both groups are in custody. It's a small victory, but still a victory." The one son slowly looked to Miss Fix It, a grim look on his face that she shared with him. To them, it hardly felt like any kind of victory. Arrest a Viper, they'd be out in no time...especially higher ups like Sidewinder and Adder. Disable one base? They have more bases to their name than Lana has tools. Not only that, but they still had their blood samples. He had no idea what they wanted with them, but to him, that felt like the most concerning part about all this, with the one tanker being a close second. They would certainly need to tell the others about this.

"Chain Linc, would you be so kind as to hand the good Inspector your communicator? I wish to have a word with him," The living AI requested, snapping her brother out of his musings.

"Huh? Oh. Sure," He answered, handing over his personal league comm link to the man in the gray trench coat.

"Yes, LISA? What can I do for you?" He asked, with Chief Quimby going to go speak with Iron Chef and Glacial Gal.

"First of all, Inspector, I would like to offer you my apologies," The four year old genius told him in her usual monotone. While the first living cyborg was talking to his superior about what had happened under Fable Land, she had been listening in. When she heard about how he had, apparently, accidentally smashed up the nerve center of the Vipers' operation, one thought came to her head.

'Poppycock...there is no way someone could do such damage to the most vital pieces of equipment by accident,' She thought to herself at the time. 'It had to be on purpose. But how can such an imbecile...wait. Of course! How could I not see it earlier!? It was simply an act. A ruse to throw his opponents off.' When she came to this conclusion, she had started to feel bad for her own judgement about Inspector Gadget.

"Apologies? What are you apologizing for?" He asked in confusion.

"After our interaction out in the parking lot, I'm sorry to say I may have seriously misjudged you," She started to explain. "I was of the opinion you were unfit for the task at hand...and for that, I apologize."

"Ah. I see," The Inspector said, a small smile appearing on his face once more. "No need to worry, LISA. These things happen to the best of us. No hard feelings here."

"Thank you, sir. I also wished to apologize once more for my line of inquiry en route to Fable Land," She continued. "You see, I myself am a sentient artificial intelligence, typically in control of a cybernetic shell. Such an existence, as you may or may not be able to imagine, has been quite taxing upon me, in a mental and especially emotional manner. I was under the impression that you would be able to understand my plight, as a robotic being yourself…"

"Robotic being? I think there may be a little confusion here, young miss. I admit I am outfitted with machines and gadgetry, but there is plenty of me that is still human. In particular, the old thinker…" He tapped his head gently with his index finger, followed by patting his chest with his hand. "...and the old ticker. This especially is what makes us more man than gadget."

"Us?"

"You and me." He reiterated to her, much to her bemusement.

"...but, I don't have a heart, Inspector," LISA revealed to him.

"Really now?" The man of many gadgets responded, his finger tapping his chin. "I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, LISA."

"Come again?"

"You may not have a human heart, but I believe you have more heart than you think," He informed her. "After all, would someone without a heart do what you and your family do? Would a heartless person risk her life and well being to save her family? Would a heartless person attempt to apologize for even possible infractions? I think not." The mini mastermind just looked at him for a moment, uncertain what to think. She wasn't necessarily convinced by what he said, but subconsciously, she had been given something to think of. Meanwhile, once the paramedics were satisfied with Linc, Miss Fix It, and Penny's health, they returned to their vehicles and Penny walked over to the two heroes.

"While I wish things could have gone better, I'm glad you two are alright and it was great working alongside the Heroes League," The young niece of the Inspector said, smiling as she held out a hand to them.

"Thanks, Penny," Lincoln replied as he and Lana shook her hand. "It was good working with you and your uncle as well, and a pleasure getting to know you both."

"This may sound a little strange, Chain Linc, but would you mind if I got your number?" She asked as she opened her computer book. The middle Loud looked kind of surprised, while his little sister beside him grinned broadly. She turned to their older sisters and motioned them over.

"My...number?" Penny nodded to him.

"With Dr Claw getting even one tank of zanith gas, it could get bad," She explained as she waited for the customized mini computer to reboot. "So I think it would be best if we keep in touch and keep each other informed of MAD or Viper activity."

"That makes sense," He answered as he considered that. "I can't really give you my number though...secret identity after all."

"Yeah, I only thought of that after I asked…"

"But since LISA got you connected to our communication network, I can give you a direct link to my communicator, so we can keep in touch that way." He offered with a small smile.

"That would work nicely. Thanks, Chain Linc." She replied with a smile of her own. He gave her the frequency so she could talk directly to him, which she inputted into her computer book once it could accept it. "That should do it. If I hear anything, I'll let you know."

"Likewise, Penny," He replied. The two shook hands one more time before she hurried over to her uncle just as he returned Linc's communicator to him. He pocketed his communicator and turned to his own family, noticing the big grins on his sisters' faces. He sighed in exasperation. "Guys, don't even think it. We're just friends. End of story."

"You've said that before, bro," Lynn Jr replied with a smirk.

"And it was true then too," He responded defensively. "Besides, I thought you were all in favor of me getting together with Incanta."

"We are," LISA replied from Lincoln's side. "But Penny is, as the others would say, quite cute, and very smart." The one son just sighed, gripping the bridge of his nose, glad Penny didn't hear any of that.

"You guys are incorrigible…"

"You know it's cause we love ya, bro," April Fool said with a giggle, moving in to put a hand on his back. "And we want you to be happy, especially in a relationship sense."

"I get that...but still, do you have to act like that with every girl who even looks at me friendly?"

"What can we say? We're hopeless romantics," Lori replied with a shrug before she put her arm around her brother, getting ready to fly back toward home with the rest of the family. Chain Linc rolled his eyes at that comment. However, he didn't dwell on it; he had other, more important matters to think of. What did Dr Claw want with the zanith gas? What did the Vipers want with their blood? And what were they up to right now, after they had escaped?

* * *

Many miles away, in the center of the Great Lakes, a bullet shaped pod was floating in the water. Still inside the sealed pod was Lieutenant Cobra, who was sitting with one leg crossed over the other and waiting patiently, and Commander Sidewinder, who looked quite sour and antsy. There was a soft beeping sound from within the pod as it sent out a distress signal on the Viper frequency. The uptight woman sighed in frustration and shook her head. "I cannot believe we lost another base and several more troops…" She growled. "...and all at the hands of a cyborg, and a handful of the weakest heroes in the league…"

"Perhaps so, Alice, but…" He started to say, looking toward her.

"Lieutenant…"

"Alice, please...look around. There's no one else around," He gestured around the small pod. It was just the two of them. "No one can hear us. No one can see us. We can relax a little bit." She glanced about and realized he was right. She calmed down a little bit and let him continue. "...but if you really think about it, in the grand scheme of things, we've come out on top." She gave him a 'what are you talking about?' look, prompting him to continue. "Yes, we lost a base, but we still got a tanker of gas out and, hopefully, delivered. Not only that, but our research into the superior soldier program can continue once we break Adder out of prison, and we managed to escape together." He gave her a confident smile. "I'd call all that a win."

"Hmmm. Well, when you put it like that, Maurice...yes, I suppose you are right," She responded, a smile starting to come to her face. "It is a shame to lose that base, and it would be a nuisance to break all of our troops out of jail...but you are right. We have come out on top overall." She looked out at the lake as the pod bobbed up and down lightly in the water. "I suppose there isn't much we can do right now except wait to be rescued…"

"Well, there is one thing we can do," Maurice said with a bigger grin, placing a hand on her cheek to turn his face toward him. She was a little shocked initially, but then she smiled warmly before she leaned forward, the two of them sharing a kiss.

* * *

_AN: Hopefully you all enjoyed this particular crossover arc. As I said, I may be doing more in the future, including a bit more with Dr Claw. However, for the next chapter (or chapters depending on how long), I plan to introduce the Great Lake Guardians. Ever since I made up mini character sheets for their heroes, I wanted to introduce them, but I needed to finish these chapters first._


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